I am celiac and lactose-intolerant. I am having heart valve replacement soon and am recommended to have a mechanical replacement. This means I need to be on Warfarin or Coumadin for life. Are there any sources of Warfarin that are certified gluten and coumadin free?
Is there any source for a lactose-free gluten-free warfarin or coumadin?
Question posted by Gracie62 on 23 March 2015
Last updated on 21 November 2018 by a.1976z
Sorry - the last sentence should have read
"Are there any sources of Warfarin that are certified gluten and lactose free?"
Another question might be - are there any Celiacs or lactose-intolerant people currently taking Warfarin/Coumadin without any issues? If so which name brand.
Thanks
Answers
Yes, I looked it up and I am sorry to say that Warfarin does have lactose in it as do many of our drugs in tablet form, I think because of its binding properties. (It may also be found in capsules, but the drugs I take which are in capsule form do not contain lactose).
But this may be a light at the end of the tunnel - well sort of - I was at wits end doing research on lactose in Warfarin, trying to find a manufacturer who makes it without it and in my searches, I stumbled across a doctor's response to this very question. He said, yes it does contain lactose (which I already knew) but if you are lactose intolerant, he suggested to take a milk/lactose digestive before you take it. I thought this was a very interesting suggestion! And as I have had multiple loose stools daily since starting Warfarin three months ago, and as one of those patients who are in danger of throwing a clot because of afib, I can't discontinue the drug, I am going to start taking my milk digestant this evening with my Warfarin and will let you know how it goes.
When ordering supplements, I always order dairy-free, wheat free, soy free, non-GMO, etc... and get what I want in labeled bottles telling you what all the active and inactive ingredients are in them as well as where the product was manufactured. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all of our prescription bottles were labeled the same way as our OTC's and Supplements!? It would save so many of us so much suffering, money, time and energy!
NOTE: Pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies are not legally required to label our prescription bottles with the inactive ingredients. It comes with the product info either in the box or on the bottles the pharmacies get, but you have to ask for that info if you want it before picking up the Rx which is usually in a different bottle. You can also do your due diligence and go to the manufacturer's website and can find it there - which requires another phone call to the pharmacy to find out who the manufacturer is of the drug you were prescribed.
I truly hope this helps, not just you but anyone else grappling with this problem. It is pervasive in our pharmaceutical culture not to let patients know what they are putting in their bodies nor are they required to do so. It's very sad.
Take care!
An extra FYI:
If you have dairy-type issues and are taking Synthroid, it also contains lactose. Several years ago I was put through many expensive gastro tests because my gastro doctor told me he thought the symptoms may be of peritoneal cancer! What a scare! After all the tests came out negative, I figured out that my symptoms started around the time I was started on Synthroid. So I looked it up and found out that Synthroid had lactose in it. After being put through all of that, I stopped the drug and all of my symptoms completely stopped! My prescribing doctor said that Synthroid has "so little in it that it shouldn't have bothered me" and didn't want me to stop taking it! I have heard that several times since about other drugs. Well - I found out in my research that that is absolutely not true in very sensitive people, especially those with celiac disease or crohn's or an allergy to dairy. Fortunately, I was able to find a natural, lactose-free thyroid medication and a doctor who specialized in treating people with it.
I cannot find anything stating that there is lactose or gluten in warfarin - the only things seen is that those diets won't cause a problem.
One place under Just answer stated that warfarin is gluten and lactose free - that was posted 2 years ago.
I am lactose intolerant and have been on warfarin since 2009 and not had a problem.
Thank you :-) This is comforting. Which name brand of warfarin are you using?
I use generic through Cigna home pharmacy
Related topics
coumadin, prosthetic heart valves, warfarin, lactose, heart, gluten free, gluten
Further information
Similar questions
Search for questions
Still looking for answers? Try searching for what you seek or ask your own question.