- Opening : Mon-Fri 8am - 8pm | Sat 9am - 6pm | Sun 9am - 4pm
- (02) 4295 6508
If you have a food allergy, coeliac disease or an intolerance such as lactose intolerance, what is in a vitamin matters as much as the dose. Allergy-friendly vitamins start with the label, and your pharmacy can help. At Flinders Discount Chemist, our pharmacists can help you read a vitamin label, check it for the allergen you need to avoid, and look at it alongside any medicines you take.
There is no single allergy-friendly vitamin, because it depends on what you need to avoid. As well as the vitamins and minerals themselves, a tablet, capsule or gummy contains other ingredients, such as fillers, coatings and flavours. These are where allergens such as milk, lactose or gluten can turn up.
Under the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) labelling rules, medicine labels must declare certain substances when they are present. Not every inactive ingredient has to be listed, though, so a label may not show everything in the product.
A general word such as “hypoallergenic” does not name the allergen you need to avoid. Look instead for your specific allergen on the label. When checking a vitamin, look for:
If the label does not answer your question, ask our pharmacists to help check the product information.
An allergen-free supplement still needs to suit you. Like any medicine, vitamins can have side effects or interact in unwanted ways with other medicines (TGA). Most people can get the vitamins and minerals they need from a healthy diet, but a restrictive diet, such as one that cuts out a whole food group, can mean you need more (healthdirect). Your doctor or a dietitian can help work out whether you need a supplement.
When your doctor or pharmacist asks what medicines you take, include any vitamins and supplements. If you have a health problem while taking a vitamin, stop and talk to a health professional.
Lactose is one of the substances that TGA labelling rules can require a medicine label to declare, for example with a statement such as “contains lactose”. If you are lactose intolerant, check for this statement before you buy.
Our pharmacists can help you read the label and product information for the allergen you name. If you are not sure what you are allergic to, or you have had a reaction, see your doctor first.
Tell our pharmacists what you need to avoid, and bring the product or a photo of its label if you already have one in mind. We can help you compare labels and suggest options to ask about. Visit us at 7 Munmorah Circuit, Flinders NSW 2529, or call (02) 4296 5548.
You can also browse our wider range of vitamins and supplements.