Pharmacist Sonja Keizers answers
Pharmacist Sonja Keizers answers questions about medicines. This time: Since I’m vegan, I don’t want to take any medication with lactose. Are replacements also possible?
Can medicines make you feel bloated? I take lanoxin, amlodipine and esomeprazole.
Answer:
Medicines can indeed contain animal products. Well-known examples, in addition to lactose, are gelatin (in the shells of capsules) and chicken protein (in the flu vaccine). Lactose is another word for milk sugar. It occurs in the milk of mammals. Lactose powder is used as a filler in tablets and capsules. Medications containing lactose are suitable for people of all religions and for vegetarians, but not for vegans. Fortunately for them, many drugs are made with other fillers and so there are plenty of alternatives. For the pharmacy it is a breeze to find out which ingredients are in a tablet and, if available, to find a variant without lactose.
Also send in your medicine question. That’s possible here.
Sources):
- Plus Magazine
