Re: Synthroid and sulfites

[Guest guest]

Chuck, you just don't get it. Ask any person who has dealt with a sulfite

intolerance and

they will tell you, resoundingly, that any corn dervivative is a big no-no. With

few

exceptions. You can ignore the corn sulfte connection but advising people with

that bias is

irresponsible.

I found no relief by simply looking for the word sulfite in an ingredient list.

I was

practically at the point of wanting to shoot myself because I was so careful

about what I

consumed yet had daily reactions. It was not until the corn connection was

pointed out to

me that I found relief. Even my physician and allergist were cognizant of this

connection.

All of those ingredients I listed are highly suspect for sulfites. No doubt

about it. It is rare

that corn is not processed with sulfites when being converted to some other

product. Even

packaging materials, boxes, cartons, shampoos, toothpaste, etc. can be

problematic for

some. Microcrystalline cellulose is wood, however it too goes through

processing, " water "

cleansing and such which is where sulfites can be introduced. Getting

manfacturers to

trace back everything that goes into their products is almost impossible. Some

microcrystalline celluloses may be ok, others not. Given the other ingredients

in Armour,

there certainly isn't a concern for sulfites. The rule for us sulfite sufferers

is stay away

from the corn derivitives, find a diet that is mostly free of reactions, then

challenge new

foods/meds one at a time. Then hope whatever new is added to the ok list doesn't

change

ingredients.

Anyone who is sulfite intolerant should be extremely leery of Armour. Especially

if they

have already reacted to Synthoid. Unithroid isn't all that much different from

Synthoid,

however I found too many people who reacted to Syntoid but not Unithroid. Thus

my

choice. It's all dosage related and it's pretty much try it and see what

happens. Getting

facts on actual levels is impossible.

> >

> > Well, I know levoxyl has microcrystalline cellulose. ...

> > So what is in microcrystalline cellulose that is the problem?

>

> I doubt very much that microcrystalline cellulose is the problem. This

> is basically a very pure form of wood fiber. It is one of the most

> chemically inert and pure excipients they use in medications. All the

> organic and inorganic contaminants have been cleaned away. What is left

> by chemical processing does not react with or dissolve in much of

> anything your digestive system can throw at it. I don't see sulfites in

> calcium stearate, dextrose, or sodium starch glycolate, either, although

> you might react badly to some of these in other ways.

>

> The sulfites in Armour are from the natural component in pork. Since the

> glands have been desiccated, that may be at a higher concentration than

> in pork roast, but it is still not very much in each pill.

>

> Chuck

>

[Guest guest]

Oh, and sometimes microcrystalline cellulose is from corn cobs, not wood.

[Guest guest]

engspotbunny,

You wrote:

>

> Chuck, you just don't get it. Ask any person who has dealt with a

> sulfite intolerance and

> they will tell you, resoundingly, that any corn dervivative is a big

> no-no. ...

Microcrystalline cellulose is not made from corn. It has no corn

component. Instead it is made entirely from wood pulp washed and

depolymerized by strong acids and alkalies, none of them sulfites. It is

a purified fiber from wood, not corn, and no amount of rinsing with

water can introduce sulfites:

http://www.nbent.com/details.htm

My wife also happens to be sulfite intolerant, and we have spent the

better part of two decades dealing with it. She takes at least two

medications that I know about with microcrystalline cellulose with no

adverse reactions.

I can understand your paranoiac reaction to ingredient lists. However,

before you accuse me of irresponsibility, perhaps you should research

this particular incipient a little better.

Chuck

[Guest guest]

engspotbunny,

You wrote:

>

> Oh, and sometimes microcrystalline cellulose is from corn cobs, not wood.

I did find patents for making mc from corn cobs, soy, and oat husks, as

you suggest, but all of the commercial suppliers I saw (in an admittedly

brief search) were based on wood pulp. One of these used a sulfite

pressure cooker for breaking the polymer chains, but the sulfur

component is later removed by other even harsher chemicals. The more

common process seems to be sulfuric acid, a different form of sulfur.

I also found a short list of " sulfite free " products that listed

microcrystalline cellulose as an inert ingredient. I remain to be

convinced that there is any sulfite in the microcrystalline cellulose in

our medications.

Chuck

[Guest guest]

Gosh, I am sorry this is getting so heated....I didn't mean for this question I

posted to

cause anyone any distress or frustration. I think it is great to have this

dialogue and the

back and forth can clear up misconceptions but I hope I haven't created a

problem with my

problem. I value each of you and your knowledge and as I have said before in a

previous

post, it is up to each of us to do our research and relay to others to the best

of our ability

and understanding. All any of us wants to do is to be helpful.....I understand

that and I

thank you.

Venizia

> >

> > Chuck, you just don't get it. Ask any person who has dealt with a

> > sulfite intolerance and

> > they will tell you, resoundingly, that any corn dervivative is a big

> > no-no. ...

>

> Microcrystalline cellulose is not made from corn. It has no corn

> component. Instead it is made entirely from wood pulp washed and

> depolymerized by strong acids and alkalies, none of them sulfites. It is

> a purified fiber from wood, not corn, and no amount of rinsing with

> water can introduce sulfites:

>

> http://www.nbent.com/details.htm

>

> My wife also happens to be sulfite intolerant, and we have spent the

> better part of two decades dealing with it. She takes at least two

> medications that I know about with microcrystalline cellulose with no

> adverse reactions.

>

> I can understand your paranoiac reaction to ingredient lists. However,

> before you accuse me of irresponsibility, perhaps you should research

> this particular incipient a little better.

>

> Chuck

>

[Guest guest]

Your irresponsibility stems from not just microcrystalline cellulose but your

out of hand

dismissal of the possible sulfite contributions from the other ingredients in

Armour as well as

telling this woman that she shouldn't react to the sulfite levels in the active

ingredient. Are

you kidding me?

As I stated before, unless you call the manufacturers, trace back every

ingredient (water

alone? do you know that for certain? do you know they haven't switched to a corn

related

process?), and hopefully speak to someone knowledgable, you don't know. In

addition, as I

stated before, this is a situation that is very individual. What your wife

reacts to or does not

react to, as well as myself, may not apply to the next person.

The corn list is a red flag list. Every single ingredient in Armour is a red

flag. For someone

new to sulfite sensitivities, Armour would be the absolute last choice. She

needs to try and

use the most hypoallergenic medication possible while reverting to a restricted

diet to try and

find a safe, mostly reaction free diet. Then she can challenge herself from that

point forward

and find her individual limits.

Red flags do not mean a definite problem, they are however known warnings and

should not

be treated trivially. You may not find sulfite sources based on your own

personal experience,

or believe the levels to be significant, but that is just you. And that is what

is irresponsible.

[Guest guest]

ALL my allergies went away on Armour and cortef for adrenals. Maybe it's

irresponsible to get poor treatment

Gracia

Your irresponsibility stems from not just microcrystalline cellulose but your

out of hand

dismissal of the possible sulfite contributions from the other ingredients in

Armour as well as

telling this woman that she shouldn't react to the sulfite levels in the

active ingredient. Are

you kidding me?

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[Guest guest]

Right. We will all follow your example. Everyone on Armour will be cured of

allergies!

Maybe cancer too!

Too bad sulfite intolerance is a metabolic problem like lactose intolerance.

>

>

> ALL my allergies went away on Armour and cortef for adrenals. Maybe it's

irresponsible to get poor treatment

> Gracia

>

>

> Your irresponsibility stems from not just microcrystalline cellulose but

your out of

hand

> dismissal of the possible sulfite contributions from the other ingredients

in Armour as

well as

> telling this woman that she shouldn't react to the sulfite levels in the

active ingredient.

Are

> you kidding me?

>

>

> Recent Activity

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