Noncompliant medicines

[ATL_Jen]

So, yesterday was Day 9, and I'd been doing well, reading labels, planning and cooking, and generally enjoying the results. My primary reason for doing a Whole30 was to slay the sugar dragon, who is my constant nemesis.

 

Yesterday I was at Costso to stock up on some things and went to the pharmacy section to get my usual pills: Vitamin D3 and generic Zyrtec. I have a (medically diagnosed and monitored) Vit. D deficiency, as well as allergies to dust and mold, and take these pills every day.

 

For whatever reason, I completely overlooked the ingredients lists on these pills when I started my Whole30, and lo and behold, the first inactive ingredient on the Vit D was soybean oil. The generic Zyrtec contained cornstarch, lactose, and polydextrose. Obviously these ingredients are not compliant.

 

Here are my thoughts, and I'd love some feedback.

 

- I've been doing the best I can. Yes, my fault I didn't look at the ingredients lists, but everything I've read from Dallas and Melissa Hartwig is very affirming and "Progress, not perfection" oriented. We pick ourselves up and move on from there.

 

- My main concern is the soybean oil in the Vit. D. As I said, I started this because of my sugar demons, and it's been great there. After reading ISWF, though, and reading labels, it's opened my eyes to how much soy is in EVERYTHING. Wow. I've never thought I had a soy intolerance, though, so I'm wondering about the necessity of tossing my old pills for what might be a tiny amount? I guess I'm asking if people think it's worth it to throw away pills and buy new (possibly more expensive ones) just to see if I'm soy intolerant.

 

- I've now looked around the forum a bit and see that there are compliant versions of Vit D3, but does anyone know of compliant versions of antihistamines? My seasonal and year-round allergies are for real. My boyfriend has pets and I live in the South where all things bloom and try to kill me.

 

- If there aren't compliant versions of antihistamines, would the amount of cornstarch, lactose, and polydextrose be negligible? I'm thinking of how table salt is allowed, despite the dextrose there.

 

So, those are some thoughts, if anyone has any of their thoughts to share!

 

 

[missmary]

this is a bit of a grey area. For the vitamin D, it is pretty easy to find compliant ones so that seems straightforward. Even a little bit of soy might be an issue, and eliminating it completely is important (the elimination diet aspect of the whole30 only works if you remove the major gut disruptors completely).

 

The antihistamine doesn't have one of the major gut disrupters (well, lactose, but it isn't clear what source), so it seems less troubling, and you could argue this is Dr. Prescribed medication. All that said, I know I personally thought I had environmental allergies, but most of them cleared up when I started eating whole30-style. You may find that you need this medication less as you get further in the program.

 

Ultimately you get to decide the balance that is best for you. Whole30+antihistamine is better than no whole30 at all.

[Tom Denham]

As a habitual cheapskate, I would not throw your old Vitamin D3 away. I would get a compliant version and go soy free for 30 days and then test reintroducing soy. If you are not sensitive, I would then finish using the D3 with soy oil, although I would not buy it again just on general principles.

[leahcarn]

I was just going to suggest exactly what Tom said, I did exactly the same thing with my D, it was pretty easy to find vitamin d in fish oil, and the others are sitting in the cupboard for a soy reintroduction test.

As a side note, my environmental allergies got better but didn't entirely disappear on whole30, so I'd be interested to hear if you find a compliant antihistamine. If you want to make a whole9 life a permanent lifestyle, maybe ask your doc for options next time you're in.

[ATL_Jen]

This is great, thank you! And I'm also too much of a cheapskate to throw away perfectly good meds if I turn out not to be sensitive to the ingredients.

 

I have ordered compliant Vit D which should arrive in time for me to start Friday.

 

A couple of questions about soy sensitivity for those in the know (or if you have sources to refer me to):

 

1. Do I need 30 days without in order to determine if I'm sensitive? I'm OK extending my Whole30 to make up for these days, if so.

 

2. What are the symptoms of soy intolerance once I reintroduce? Obviously I can (and will) research that myself, but others might be able to point me in the right direction. 

 

Thank you!

[praxisproject]

1. Personally I'd do a restart, as you're on Day 9, so you can see the full benefits without the soy (no need to throw them out).

 

BUT - You may still see benefits even with the soy, but you might miss out on some too and it can be frustrating to not get all the benefits.

 

My first Whole30 I had great results from, and had a bunch of non-compliant medications during that 30 days. Over time I've switched them all out to better options, my chemist looks hard for compliant options, and I choose sugar over dairy, soy or grains (never ever wheat), if there's nothing 100% complaint as pill volumes of sugar are usually tiny (in mine). 

 

2. Soy is a real wild card for many people, the source materials vary wildly (from organic, to highly pesticide-laden GMO soy), as do processing methods.

 

Soybean oil also has another factor which is not allergies, but it's PUFA level: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/

 

Some people get nightshade-type reactions to it (when also nightshade sensitive), some people believe this is related to GMO soy which has been spliced with nightshade DNA (this has yet to be proven either way yet, although some studies have skirted around the edges).

A lot of soy things contain wheat or other non-compliant things (soy sauce often contains wheat & gluten, soy milk often contains barley malt & gluten, soy based sauces often contain legumes and cornstarch) so reintroduction should be clean soy products.

 

The most extreme soy reaction is anaphylaxis (the kind where you need an EpiPen), so if you're at all concerned, be careful.

 

For me, I have no noticeable reaction to edamame (cooked actual soy beans) or the weird soy that's often added to tea, but pretty much all other soys make me feel a bit unwell, I'm fairly sure it's a low level inflammation trigger for me. Nothing extreme, but going without it for 30 days and adding it back in, I notice it and I feel better without it. It may be a gut disrupter for me too, these are very tricky for me to assess, often whether I feel better without it is the best measure and I feel better without it altogether, even the edamame and tea soy.

 

Some are worse than others and I can only assume it's from either the source material or how it's processed. I generally avoid all soy products as so many of them are contaminated with wheat it's too iffy for me to rely on in any way as a safe food (can't eat it out unless they have a labelled gluten free soy sauce). Some people have very different reactions with fermented soy vs unfermented.

[FluffyChenille]

When I started my Whole 30, I ordered all my vitamins from "Thorne". No additives and most of them are compliant. https://thorne.com/

[utahsue]

20 minutes a day of unprotected sunlight (preferably before 10 AM) has brought my vitamin D level to a better level w/o pills.  Walking my dog in the am gives me some exercise and sunlight