Thursday, November 27, 2008

Hard-to-Find but Commonly Needed Hypoallergenic Supplements

Many of our children with pediatric-onset symptoms of depression, schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar, OCD, ADHD and autistic-spectrum have biological problems requiring nutritional supplements. But these same children often have food sensitivities to some ingredients commonly found in these supplements.

My younger daughter cannot consume gluten/wheat, dairy (casein), eggs, or soy.  She is also allergic to propylene glycol. Finding some supplements without these ingredients are difficult. We found that even if gluten or soy is not listed as an ingredient, it does not mean there is no gluten or soy in that product!

One example is a Tryptophan supplement I bought. I had been looking for a 1000 mg size and thought I found it. I called the manufacturer only to find that many tryptophan supplements have some gluten in it, and if their product does not specifically say “gluten free,” then there probably is some in it.

Other times I have ordered products on-line, seeing no allergens listed in the ingredients only to get the bottle and there, below the ingredient list, are the words: “Contains soy” or “Contains gluten.” Even a fish oil product that did not list soy directly, but listed vitamin E (tocopherol), when investigating deeper, I found the tocopherol was in a soy base!

It is maddening that many sites do not list the entire product label on-line! Buyer beware! Contact the manufacturer if you are not sure!

I am therefore starting a list of usually allergenic supplements that our children commonly require that I find in a hypoallergenic formulation.

I’d love to have others help me with this list!

Note: Always double-check anything you buy, including anything from this, or any other, list!!


Vitamin E with gamma tocopherol (Common allergen: Soy)

N-Acetyl Tyrosine (common allergens: gluten)

CoQ10 (common allergens: soy & gluten)

Tryptophan (common allergen: gluten)

Melatonin-Timed/Extended Release (common allergens: gluten and corn)

Amino Acids:
Protein Powder (common allergens: dairy (whey / casein), soy, gluten)
    Multi-vitamin / Micronutrient supplement (common allergens: gluten and corn)
    Fish oil (Common allergen: Soy)
    Unfortunately, Lovaza—the prescription one which insurance will pay for— contains “4 mg α-tocopherol (in a carrier of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils including soybean oil)”

    See Fish Oils: $$$ and Favorite Brands for more options to look into.

    • Omega Brite
    • Carlson Fish Oil (liquid, lemon flavor  - must be kept in refrigerator after opening)
    • Coromega  Yummy for young children--No gluten, dairy or soy, but DOES contain a tiny bit of egg yolk. The vitamin E in this formulation is derived from soy, but the claim is that it is highly purified and contains NO SOY.
    • Nordic Naturals Omega-3 - The vitamin E in this formulation is derived from soy, but no soy is listed in the ingredients, and the claim is that therefore there is no soy particles in the contents. Whether to buy this depends on how careful you are and what the doctor says.
    • Don't forget KRILL Oil!
    Anti-Candida
    Prebiotics (Common allergen: dairy)
    • Vital Nutrients Arabinogalactan Powder
    • Pure Encapsulations Arabinogalactan (capsules)
    • Klaire Labs Saccharomyces Boulardi (capsules) This is technically a "probiotic" but interestingly is a yeast that helps the intestines -- crowding out bad bacteria, helping the good bacteria, and thus is also used to help with the "bad yeast" - Candida albicans. Here is a an explanation on WebMD.
    • MRM L-Glutamine 500 Powder (Not technically a prebiotic but the doctor had one of us on this specific supplement because, we were told,  "Glutamine supports immune and intestinal health, and is essential for protein synthesis")
    • Nutrition Now PB8 (Enteric Coated, Acidophilus,14 Billion).
    Probiotics (Common allergen: dairy) Note: Most MUST be kept refrigerated!!!
    (See also: Prebiotics)
    Boswella / Boswellia (common allergens: dairy, propylene glycol)

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    3 comments:

    Dave said...

    Life Extension does have many hypoallergenic formulations. They are also pharmaceutical grade. A bit more expensive than other brands, but you can try them out for less without a membership at www.drvitaminsolutions.com. Hope this helps…

    28 November, 2008 06:23
    Liberty said...

    I find this very frustrating myself. I am sensitive to many of the exipients and binders and fillers in supplements. Thorne is a good brand for having less of those. I try to remember to recheck each time I buy a new bottle because sometimes companies change the formula.
    I just last week bought a bottle of 5HTP by NOW - a brand I tolerate well - only to notice later that 'sodium lauryl sulphate' is now added to the capsules. I don't tolerate that in my shampoo let alone ingesting it!
    It's frustrating when it feels that the companies don't take much care.

    02 January, 2009 17:29
    Unknown said...

    Thanks for the post! Anyone in need of any hypoallergenic supplements should definitely check outpure encapsulations. They provide consumers with supplements that do not contain nuts, gluten, wheat, egg, hydrogenated oils, or preservatives. I am allergic to peanuts and have always turned to them for my supplement needs.

    06 June, 2013 11:41

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