So we spent Memorial Day week-end at the shore. My son is taking Zyrtec daily for seasonal allergies. We ran out of his Zyrtec syrup during the week-end. No problem. We stopped at the closest CVS and picked up more. My brain freeze resulted in my thinking that we should get the children's chewable tablets instead of syrup. As I opened the package, my brain thaw occurred and I read over the inactive ingredients. Duh! I wrote a while back about Zyrtec tablets containing lactose monohydrate. I even sent a letter to them. It went unanswered.
Today I called Zyrtec and chatted with Malika, Zyrtec Customer Service Representative. She confirmed that lactose monohydrate contains bovine milk. She went on to say that the manufacturer of the lactose monohydrate had issued a "Certificate of Suitability." When I asked what that meant, I was put on hold- for 8 minutes. Finally Malika came back and apologized for the long wait. She said, "It contains milk, so those allergic to milk should avoid the product." Okay, I still don't know what a "Certificate of Suitability" is , but I guess it doesn't really matter.
I told her that I wanted to register a complaint that the label doesn't clearly state "Contains Milk" in big bold letters- make that super size letters so even those of us in a brain freeze can't miss it. She apologized and said she would forward my complaint to the appropriate department. Uh, huh- I'm watching...
If you want to register your concern to Zyrtec, call 1-800-343-7805.
Why don't medication manufacturers have to follow the same labeling rules that food manufacturers must follow?
9 comments:
I'm glad you caught it before there was a problem! I agree. I think it should go one step further. All things that go in/on our bodies should have all information on what ingredients are derived from. (My current pet peeves are spices and natural flavor make it impossible to know if food contains red pepper.)
You go girl! Good for you and thanks for this info.
Good thing you noticed that in time! We've always used the syrup. I find that most chewable medications have lactose...or maybe that's just the ones corresponding to the medications we use?
Certificate of Suitability? Sounds like something someone pulled right out of their nether regions, pardon my bluntness.
Wow. That's a new one!
Wow, I would have never thought. Good information.
That is craziness. Wow. I never cease to be amazed. My son take Zrytec daily this time of year, too. (We don't have the milk allery, though I wouldn't have thought to even check that.) Thanks for being so aware and passing this on!
My question is, why does it have milk product in it in the first place? Makes me want to double check any inactive ingredients in my Allegra...
Why someone would choose to put a top eight most common allergen in ALLERGY medicine is beyond me. But well done for catching it, and for sharing the info to help the rest of us. I remember reading that a long time ago, but we didn't have a milk allergy then, so I had forgotten.
Look for "official statements" from Benadryl and Singulair to come. I'll be in contact with them this week. In the meantime, milk is often used as a binder in tablets. It is also often used in inhaled medications. Read labels and call manufacturers and then register complaints about vague notices on their packaging.
When you're dealing with a sick kid, it's hard enough to think straight. We need all the important information available in a very visible way.
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