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I've got quite a list. I wasn't going to attempt to summarize tonight, but I'll do some of it and get the rest of it to you all tomorrow, if more information (is that possible?) arrives. I hope with fewer typos than last night. I'm still not clearheaded...and I'm overwhelmed by the generous response from all of you. Thank you, thank you....even to those who had no answers, but gave kind support and all the conversations that got me through today. I'm not used to being sedentary, so sitting at the computer with you all was terrific and informative.....Lin 

My first response was from a pharmacist who basically said that there are prednisones with gluten free written on the bottle. Wish I knew that last night!!!

A number of people said "prednisone" is gluten-free, but I question what is used to hold it together. Again, a number said corn is popular and that wheat is rarely used anymore.

Quite a few would have taken the pills anyway, based on that premise. Some said to ask for the liquid form or the injection (which I did do). I might add...IV's bypass our gluten issue, as well.

Clan Thompson lists two companies that make GF prednisone. They are
Roxanne, and Watson. 

Roxanne makes prednisone pills and they say gluten-free right on the bottle!
(From someone who works in a pharmacy).  Mylan also told her over the phone last week they do not use any gluten-containing ingredients in their medications.

Glutenfreedrugs.com lists one which is Westward
Pharmaceutical. Their phone no. is 732-542-1191 email
[log in to unmask] 

Roche says gf on the bottle.

We usually get them compounded with methylcellulose as the filler which our
dairy-corn-soy-canola-allergic daughter can tolerate, made up  in a veggie
cap (which is made from tree fiber).

These is an inhaler, Intal, which is Chromalyn Sodium.  Our daughter had it
as a nose spray and my husband had it as an inhaler.  It is to suppress
the mast sells that make the histamine.  It works for some people but not
for others.  It is not as reliable as prednisone.

From someone whose biopsies show no gluten reaction in her intestines: 
I have taken steroid shots (Kenolog) and had no reactions.  I have been on prednisone 
(generic and name brand with no problems.) 

Some advice:
If you have an asthma attack, try very hard not to panic, and breath slowly and
methodically, and focus only on your breathing as though it was an exercise,
and not with the fussing of people around you.

One recommended Pulmicort as a longterm inhaler.
Asmakort as an inhaler, and it has been successful.
Advair was recommend by some. (I can't use it.)
(Not one mentioned Asmanex....I've used it, with the same side effects as Advair...lose my voice and get terrible sore throat...This is Linda speaking.)

Singulair has been great for me. (Me too, but not this week!)
But Rhinocort AQ (that may be the way it's styled, now that I think of it) has taken care of the spring-summer-autumn seasonal problems like pollen, ragweed, hayfever, mold. Perfume and animal hair if extreme can still be a problem, but the Rhinocort extends my
tolerance level even of those awful triggers. 

It prednisone comes in liquid form - generally the liquid are gf.  Also, you 
could do neb treatments.  They takes longer but are gf.

I have asthma, too, but it stays well in control with Advair and the 
rare use of Alupent as needed. This person also would have just taken the pills and not worried about the seemingly rare occurrence of gluten.

Some advice about my plan to contact the hospital:
You may be able to meet with your hospital's VP of Quality and Patient
Safety, together with the Director of Emergency Medicine and the Director of
Pharmacy and encourage them to compile a list of common and generic
medications that are frequently used with a notation as to whether or not
they are GF.  This is a patient safety issue and would be a good project for
the Pharmacy to do as part of JCAHO preparedness. The Quality and Patient
SAfety department would also like to have something like this to show to the
surveyors.

And one wonderful person offered to help me operationalize my dream to start a campaign of educating hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted livings...but first I have to get through this week.

Incidentally, I took a Sudafed (decongestant) alittle while ago, and it's making me feel better than all the other stuff!!!! I've even managed to get past the hour when I would be scrambling for the Proventil! Unfortunately, Sudafed also acts like caffeine....so it looks like another sleepless night in Jersey!!

Thanks again.

Lin



*Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*
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