When you are sick with a cold, the flu or just a pounding headache the last thing you want is to add abdominal pain or discomfort. We talk a lot about the different foods that are high and low in FODMAPs around here, but I bet you didn’t expect to find these poorly digested sugars that can cause digestive upset in your medicine cabinet?

Medications such as cough drops, syrups, liquid gel pain medications, probiotics, multi-vitamins and protein powders can all contain high FODMAP ingredients which can cause you digestive upset if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or other digestive disorders. You may have never considered your medication as a cause of your digestive distress, but it can be. Although a small pill doesn’t seem like a lot, taking these medications once or twice a day can really add up and could be enough to cause digestive distress in some people.

I say this all the time- each person is unique and their body will respond differently to different things. So some of you may not feel the effects of a small amount of ingredients found in medications. The most important thing to take from this article is that your medication MAY be a trigger for you.

Be aware that the ingredients in medications and supplements could cause digestive issues like gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort, constipation and/or diarrhea. The goal of this article is to help you know what to watch for and to provide you with a list of products to avoid in your medicine cabinet.

Wondering what else affects symptoms of IBS like gas, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation? You’ve got to understand more about the FODMAPs, poorly digested sugars that are the most common triggers in digestive issues. Download my free eBook – Click here to get a copy emailed to you right away.

Medications Containing FODMAPs

Although we can’t review every product at the pharmacy, we are able to identify ingredients to watch for that may be in your medications. Here is a list of ingredients that are high in FODMAPs and frequently found in various medications.

  • Fructose
  • High fructose Corn Syrup
  • Sorbitol
  • Mannitol
  • Xylitol
  • Maltitol
  • Inulin
  • Honey
  • Agave
  • Lactose
    • Whey
    • Non-fat milk Solids
    • Non-fat milk powder
    • Milk by products

If you are on prescription medications don’t be afraid to tell your pharmacist that you are following the low FODMAP diet, and ask them to check if any of your medications contain high FODMAP ingredients. It may be a good idea to take the list of ingredients above as not all pharmacists will be familiar with the low FODMAP diet.

High FODMAP Medications to Avoid & Some Options to Include

***Note the approved medications below have not been tested on for FODMAPs at the Monash University lab. These are simply the best choices in our opinion if you need relief and are following a diet that improves IBS and digestion, such as the low FODMAP diet. Please be aware of your body and your symptoms to assess what products and ingredients work for you.

Cough Drops

Brand High FODMAP Ingredient    
Fishermen Friends

·Cherry

·Citrus

·Lemon

·Mint

Sorbitol  FF-Cherry
Halls

·Honey-Lemon

Honey  51mBargI2BL._SY300_
Ricola

·Honey Lemon

Honey honeylemon-bag_thumb
Vic Cough Drops   No FODMAPs  VapoDrops Cough Relief Menthol  

 

Cough Syrups

Brand High FODMAP Ingredient    
Tylenol Complete Cold, Cough & Flu Syrup Sorbitol 41kuQU_5NbL._SS500_
Children’s Advil

Cold & Flu Multi-Syptom Suspension

·Berry

·Grape

Fever from Colds or Flu Suspension

Sorbitol

 

Robitussin

·Mucus & Phlegm Extra Strength

·Cough Control Extra Strength

· Cough & Cold Extra Strength

·Total Cough, Cold & Flu

·Total Cough, Cold & Flu Extra Strength Nighttime

Sorbitol  
Buckley’s

·Original

·Nighttime

·Complete

·Extra Strength  Mucus Relief

·Cough Chest Congestion

·Cough Mucus & Phlegm

No FODMAPs
Robitussin

·Cough Control

·Mucus & Phlegm

·Cough & Cold

No FODMAPs  robitussin-cough-cold-en-details

 

Liquid Gels

Brand High FODMAP Ingredient    
Advil Liqui-Gels

·Arthritis

·Back Pain

·Cold & Sinus

·Nighttime

Sorbitol  LG_Advil_Pain_Boxes

 

Other

Brand High FODMAP Ingredient    
Tums Chewy Delights

·Cherry

·Peppermint

·Orange

 

Tums Smoothies

·Berry Fusion

·Tropical Fruit

·Assorted Fruit

·Peppermint

Non-fat dairy milk

 

 

 

 

Sorbitol

 

tums-chewy

 

 

 

smoothies-main

 

 

Wishing you good gut health & wellness,

Stephanie and The Team 

 

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