Well, my Dad was research Director for Schering for a long time, and he 
warned me about the lactose in many, many pills - including and 
especially (in his opinion) multi-vitamins, where it's used to separate 
layers of reactive vitamins from one another.  It's cheap, easy to get, 
and very very inert.  However, I've never heard that pharm-grade lactose 
was advertised not to have LI or allergic effects - all I ever knew was 
that it was purified so that there were no contaminants (minerals and 
such) that might impact or interact with any of the desired effects of 
the medications.  My Dad certainly believed that it would cause 
reactions in me.

Weavre Cooper wrote:
>
> Loratadine ... Singulair ... regular Advair ... and sooo many others ... I'm
> sure it drives my pharmacist and doctors nuts trying to find substitutes for
> all the pills that contain lactose. 
Loratadine is a generic name for what used to be Schering's Claritin.  
Allavert 24-hour tabs (no water required, if you can stand the taste) 
have not had lactose for a long time, while most of the other OTCs do.  
However, they have a new flavor out, and I've never checked that one.
>
>