<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Hi - I hope I'm communicating to the correct listserv address, as well as ClanThompson.  My first time.

I've just gotten off the phone with Pfizer's Prescription Drug Medical Dept.  I contacted them first because I noticed that the latest gluten-free list from www.clanthompson.com no longer includes Zoloft, and wanted to check with Pfizer before I contacted Lani to see if it was an oversight.

I called 1-800-TRY-FIRST yesterday, and they put me through to the department above.  No one there could answer the question "Does zoloft now include gluten?"  After they told me they didn't know, I got a bit "huffy" - and gave them my "potted" speech about the importance of knowing, and explained that I was a member of a growing number of folks with Celiac's (and DH, which is my problem) - and I needed to know the answer and notify others.  I was then asked for the websites I used, and told they would get the answer to me quickly.  Everyone was very nice - just not knowledgable.

I've just received a phone call from the medical dept. with what I've come to know as the manufacturers "potted speech" about how they can't be sure the OTHER Zoloft ingredients from the companies they deal with are gluten-free, but THEY use potato starch.

I asked when they had started adding this disclaimer, and she said "in January."  I said that I'd had a prescription renewed since then - and I felt that it was their responsibility to notify all doctors and psychiatrists of such a change because celiacs, as they should know, is a serious auto-immune disease - and although it is not apparently life-threatening to me, it is to many children and adults.  I also said that, rather than covering their backsides, they should be pro-active and help us!

I don't know what to do now.  Zoloft has worked wonderfully for me for years, but I'm struggling with an unexplained outbreak of DH after being clear for about 8 months, and have only had previous outbreaks since diagnosis 3 years ago from unknown ingestion outside of the house.  I'm paranoid about it now, and only go where I can be sure it's OK.  Now I'm concerned that it is my latest Zoloft prescription because I can't identify anything else I could have ingested.

Thank you for letting me vent.  I'd love it if other Zoloft users called the 1-800-TRY-FIRST Pfizer number to ask the same question and see if we can pressure them into taking this seriously on our behalf instead of protecting their bottom line from lawsuits!  (Sorry - I'm upset!)

Gail


* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *
Archives are at: Http://Listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?LIST=CELIAC