Don’t let the cure be worse than the disease! That’s sage advice, but it can be tough to follow if you can’t tolerate something in a medications that you need. Many people need to avoid certain coloring agents or fillers, but it can be puzzling to try to figure out which pills could cause a nasty reaction.
Avoiding Lactose:
Q. Is there a website where I can check to see whether the prescription medications I take contain lactose? A pharmacist recently told me that many drug companies use lactose as filler.
I have lactose intolerance and get very uncomfortable, embarrassing gas if I ingest something containing lactose. I am sure others may have the same problem and may not even be aware that there is lactose in their medications.
A. One website that does this well is DailyMed. It contains all the official prescribing information for most prescription medicines. Enter the name of your drug in the search box, then check the headers “Inactive Ingredients” or “Ingredients and Appearance” at the bottom of the page.
You are by no means the only person who has to deal with this problem. Lactose intolerance can cause bloating and diarrhea as well as terrible stomachaches any time a person is exposed to milk sugar. Even the small amount in a medication could cause a lot of discomfort.
