I try to use the purest medications my budget allows, and on top of that, certain ingredients trigger reactions in me. So I make a habit of reaching out to makers in the US to find out what goes into their products. Out of all of them, just 1 never replied to my calls or emails, and 1 other supplied incorrect details, which led to a reaction. In the US, micronized progesterone is produced with peanut oil. I got in touch with several companies whose products were available in India to ask about their composition, and only 1 out of 4 responded, telling me that was confidential. Really? It's not like I'm after their secret formula. Does anyone here who deals with allergies have advice on getting overseas companies to answer? Do they withhold this kind of information from patients in other countries?
Manufacturers in Other Countries
- Thread starter toologic
- Start date
Since I don't have any allergies that I know of, please excuse how little I know about this; still, a couple of things come to mind.
Why not simply inform them of your allergies and see whether they respond truthfully?
Beyond that, I don't know what product you're after; unfortunately, though, tests frequently reveal ingredients that were either added or left out compared with what's on the label. When allergies are serious, operating in a gray area strikes me as risky.
If india pharma is involved, a trusted rep might be able to give you a genuine answer.
My initial request was for an ingredient list, since the US maintains a drug database that includes components. That was the point when I was told the information was confidential. So I followed up by stating that I have allergies and asking which oil they use, or whether they use something different — and got no response at all.
Even with US companies, I have to bring up allergies right away. If I don't, they dismiss me or refer me to my doctor, who has no time for this. At the pharmacy, the pharmacist is equally uninformed about what's inside the drugs and tells me to contact the manufacturer too. It's really sad.
A single ingredient can come from many sources. Take starch: it might be derived from corn, tapioca, wheat, and so on. So when a bottle just says starch, you have no idea what the source is unless you ask.
My allergies aren't severe, so I won't die, but I do end up throwing hundreds of dollars away on products that make me sick. I wondered whether other countries handle this differently. In the US, a lot of hormones are made with seed oil — even many compounding pharmacies use them.
When I reached out to several reps, their response was that there's no way for them to find out....I also had no allergies that I knew of, until suddenly I experienced a racing heart, couldn't sleep, and had a faint itch. It took 2 years and a functional MD to figure it out and it was all food related.
eidos
Explorer
Started by fellow Canadians: https://go.drugbank.com/
After two months on one metformin brand, I discovered its excipient list was not identical to what other manufacturers use. I moved to another brand, and the itching went away.
After two months on one metformin brand, I discovered its excipient list was not identical to what other manufacturers use. I moved to another brand, and the itching went away.