Medication made from geletin

Hi Hothevs, welcome to Healthy Pages.

You can ask the doctor if your medication is available in non-gelatine capsules and they may or may not do it. An option is to cut the capsule and empty the contents into some food to swallow - but it usually tastes pretty bad which is often why it is encapsulated.

Going vegetarian is fine if you make sure you get the balance of essential amino acids right each day. This is relatively easy if you eat eggs and dairy produce (milk, cheese, yoghurt). But going vegan is not so easy - beans (of any kind, including soya) should be balanced daily with wholegrain rice to give you the full compliment of essential amino acids (essential proteins). Quinoa is just about the only plant food which supplies all the essential amino acids.

I suggest you do some research on soya and soya products. There is a problem with eating too much soya, in that it is oestrogenic (phytoestrogens) which is great if you are post-menopausal female but not so good if you are male as the phytochemicals can interfere with testosterone levels (but can be helpful though if you have an enlarged prostate). There is [DLMURL="http://search.mercola.com/search/Pages/results.aspx?k=soy"]debate[/DLMURL] however as to how healthful or beneficial soya actually is. Some consider only fermented soya to be safe, but definitely not the processed kind as in soya milk. The choice is yours. The other thing to be aware of if you go vegan that you will eventually become short of vitamin B12, which is only found in animal products, essential for the production of red blood cells among other things. You might read it is available from seaweed but that has beeen shown to be in a non-absorbable form. You will need to take some flaxseed or hempseed oil to get your daily portion of essential omega oils too, but don't cook with them!

Be aware also that many 'vegetarian' foods from the supermarkets are stuffed with damaged fats and processed carbohydrates devoid of vitamins and minerals. Go for wholefoods that you cook yourself.

As for your statement that animals in the UK are being farmed in a horrific manner - I do take issue with that! We have the highest welfare standards to which farmers are legally bound to adhere to. Prosecution is swift and strong if they do not. If a farmer has been found not to be following welfare codes (which is pretty rare) then the press jump on it like a ton of bricks! I don't know where you got your information but it is very easy to 'doctor' and edit any video footage and put on an emotive commentary for distribution to those who are gullible. You are welcome to visit our farm at any time and see how we look after our stock so 'horrifically'. Oh and by law the veterinary service have to come and inspect our livestock about every 3 months, unannounced - and we (the farmers) have to pay for this 'service'. If you are looking for poor welfare standards you have to look at products from other countries. We are fighting to get the EU welfare guidelines to be adhered to there, as we already do in UK. most just shrug their shoulders and say 'What welfare standards?'

Your choice to become vegetarian should be on health grounds (and there are many) or the preference not to eat meat. I have been vegetarian for many years and prefer it that way.

Wishing you the best of health.

Hi Caroline,

As for your statement that animals in the UK are being farmed in a horrific manner - I do take issue with that! We have the highest welfare standards to which farmers are legally bound to adhere to. Prosecution is swift and strong if they do not. If a farmer has been found not to be following welfare codes (which is pretty rare) then the press jump on it like a ton of bricks! I don't know where you got your information but it is very easy to 'doctor' and edit any video footage and put on an emotive commentary for distribution to those who are gullible. You are welcome to visit our farm at any time and see how we look after our stock so 'horrifically'. Oh and by law the veterinary service have to come and inspect our livestock about every 3 months, unannounced - and we (the farmers) have to pay for this 'service'. If you are looking for poor welfare standards you have to look at products from other countries. We are fighting to get the EU welfare guidelines to be adhered to there, as we already do in UK. most just shrug their shoulders and say 'What welfare standards?'

Do you mind if I ask, what livestock do you have on your farm... Cattle...? Sheep....? Or something more exotic like Llamas?

Hi Caroline,

Do you mind if I ask, what livestock do you have on your farm... Cattle...? Sheep....? Or something more exotic like Llamas?

Hi Wild Strawberry

In the past there have been cattle and sheep and Angora goats which were bred for their mohair (adorable and intelligent animals!)

Now we have pigs and do horse liveries, with a few sheep, but we are mostly arable.

Mustn't go too far off-topic!

My question is- what do you guys do if essential medication you need to take is made with gelatin? Have any of you asked your GP if they can prescribe a version without? is this even possible? I can't stop the tablets but don't feel good about them having gelatin in them.

You could also talk to your regular pharmacist - they tend to have more knowledge than the GP's about the preparation of the various meds and could possibly make up your repeat prescription using vegetable based coatings.

HI there.
thanks for suggestions about the medication which is in fact what I asked about.
I must say I am amused at someone I have never met telling me why I should make choices about the way I live my life. On what grounds do you think you have the right to tell me why I 'should' do anything? How very odd. And also, on the subject of my being gullible, I have to say I take exception to you making an assumption of what I meant when I spoke of horrific farming practices. I have not reached the conclusion that cows have their young taken away and are then milked for humans to receive their milk rather than their own young, by watching a doctored video on the web. I know this to be true as I have spent time on farms and some of my close friends families have farms. I live in a rural area. I have no clue what you are chuntering on about, but what I meant was raising animals to be slaughtered, treating livestock as a commodity and so on. I don't think I will come to your farm and have a look as I have been on plenty before. Ones that do not break any welfare rules and treat their animals 'well', but that in my opinion break numerous moral rules.
Maybe I should finish this post by telling you that you should be vegetarian due to caring about animals as that's what I'm doing? But I wont. Mainly because I have no clue who you are or what your life is. But also because it would make me look arrogant and rude.

Hi Wild Strawberry

In the past there have been cattle and sheep and Angora goats which were bred for their mohair (adorable and intelligent animals!)

Now we have pigs and do horse liveries, with a few sheep, but we are mostly arable.

Mustn't go too far off-topic!

And, I'd just like to point out that you went so far off topic we ended up in a different time zone! I asked about Gelatin in medication and you tried to tell me why I should think a certain way!

I would advise you to ask the pharmacist if they can provide gelatin free medication for you.

I'm vegetarian because I don't like the taste or texture of food. I have no issue with people eating meat as long as they are aware of where the animal came from and was reared before we took its life. I won't buy eggs that have been factory farmed, I stick with British reared animals for the meat for my husband and when I can afford it I would go direct to the farmer.

I have on occasions had to take prescription medication that contains gelatin, it gives me spots when I do.

If you are so against animals being reared for their meat, how do you justify to yourself that the medication you take has been tested on animals? That medication is keeping you well, but it was at the sacrifice of an animal that was no doubt raised to be tested on. I hate taking medication, but at the moment I have to. I cannot change the fact that the medication that I take was given to a creature in a lab and that animal will have suffered due to that. All I can do is send spiritual thanks that animal (and those like it) for giving me their life in exchange for making mine a little bit more manageable.

My word, my first post on this forum and I'm going to be whinging about someone! I too am vegetarian on grounds of being against animal cruelty, I have worked in the farming industry and seen first hand the disgusting abuse of many animals and so base my beliefs on this. If u want to contest what I'm saying then do it by all means but u will be calling me a liar as I know what I have seen, in many more then just one place... And some big names too. I'm sure that some farmers out there adhere to the correct standards and hats off to them but im totally with hothevs on this one and I think its pretty rude to tell someone why they 'should' make a life choice Caroline.
Just to say on the end here, standards or not I just find the whole idea of animals being kept for meat uncomfortable... I'm not against meat eaters; heck I used to be one & sometimes I'd like nothing more then a juicy steak but I just remember seeing defenceless animals kicked, beaten n abused daily.... I just wish that if people were going to eat meat they would just eat 'wild meat'... But that'll never happen, not least because we cant any old tom, **** or harry racing around the streets with rifles after the next meal... But maybe one day we could move towards people eating meat just once a week (sunday roast) and sourcing it more responsibly. It's healthier, better for the environment and here's a good one for the current economic climate.... It's a damn site cheaper!
Peace to all.

I would advise you to ask the pharmacist if they can provide gelatin free medication for you.

I'm vegetarian because I don't like the taste or texture of food. I have no issue with people eating meat as long as they are aware of where the animal came from and was reared before we took its life. I won't buy eggs that have been factory farmed, I stick with British reared animals for the meat for my husband and when I can afford it I would go direct to the farmer.

I have on occasions had to take prescription medication that contains gelatin, it gives me spots when I do.

If you are so against animals being reared for their meat, how do you justify to yourself that the medication you take has been tested on animals? That medication is keeping you well, but it was at the sacrifice of an animal that was no doubt raised to be tested on. I hate taking medication, but at the moment I have to. I cannot change the fact that the medication that I take was given to a creature in a lab and that animal will have suffered due to that. All I can do is send spiritual thanks that animal (and those like it) for giving me their life in exchange for making mine a little bit more manageable.

it doesn't sit easily with me that creatures have suffered for me to be able to survive but I have to consider other things, not just the animals here. If I stopped taking them I would become very very ill and then be unable to parent, eventually becoming so ill that I would leave them without a parent. My children also have conditions which mean they have to be medicated for them to enjoy a relatively pain free, healthy life. And as much as I don't want an animal suffering, that means nothing in comparison to my kids being OK. If we were ever in the position that the only food available to feed them was meat, that would be what I'd give them (hell the family dogs and cats would be the first to go in the event of some WW3 type situation). In fact, my 6 year old has had feeding issues from birth(long story, born early, no sucking reflex, difficult breast feeding journey etc etc) and has been determined that we aren't taking meat off him! We have mostly replaced his meat(the only thing he will willingly eat, as well as bread) with meat free versions and he hasn't noticed. But my partner, who does all the cooking did cook him beef yesterday. This again doesn't sit easily but he is my child and with all the other issues he has around food, which I believe to be psychological by the way, I'm not going to push him. He knows meat is animals, he loves our pets, but he is 6, he doesn't understand the big deal in them being eaten. He is an avid wildlife fan and speaks in terms of being a carnivore as a lion/ tiger etc is.I don't want him to have to deal with the specifics of a cow meets its death at his age. I am being a bit more pushy with my 13 year old as shes got more of a grasp on the details of what animal farming is and is a good healthy eater. So there we go, I'm sure that people with think I'm bad for letting my baby have meat as a veggie or some other such judgemental thing but I am quite early on in my journey and am comfortable with where we're heading.

I appreciate that it is a difficult, your first post came across as very judgemental towards meat-eaters and overgeneralised farmers who rear animals as cruel. I think the majority of farmers wish the very best for their animals. Yes there are a few that mistreat animals and they should be named and shamed and prosecuted.

My point about medication was to put it in perspective, if you had to you would put yourself before another animal. We are all programmed to survive and to protect our young, which is exactly what you are doing. You take your medication to keep well to enable you to function. But an animal did suffer to give you that privilege. Rearing animals for their meat, we again benefit nutritionally from their suffering. I think the important thing is to remember where your meal has come from and where possible source food from places that put an animal/environmental welfare high on their lists. To reduce the animals suffering at our hands as much as is possible. Give them the honour and respect that they deserve.

I think it is correct that you are not pushing your 6 year old in vegetarianism, I would also consider why you are pushing your 13 year old. I personally believe at 13 they can make their own decision about their diet. I became vegetarian at the age of 13/14 because I could communicate my dislike for meat. Focus on showing them where their food is coming from, show them the options available, if your 13 year old wish to eat meat educate her to choose where the meat is purchased from to make it as ethical as possible. Let her make an informed decision about her diet rather than forcing her to become vegetarian/vegan. When she leaves home she'll do what she wants anyway.

I love animals dearly it would be great if the whole world didn't eat them, but we are designed to scavenge and our diets in the past included meats, though in much less quantities than is consumed by today's society. From my point of view it is about being aware where your food comes from rather than what you eat. If you know that a particular product has come from a company that mistreats its animals, show your disgust and not buy that product. The consumer can influence how animals are reared for their meat buy not buying meat that has come from an animal that has suffered more than necessary.

The reason I'm being more pushy with my daughter is because she constantly goes on about how awful it is that animals are mis-treated and then in the next breathe its all 'I cant be bothered, Im going to eat cheap meat slices cos my friends do'. When given the option of meat or our stuffed squash on sunday, she wanted the squash. I don't want her to be happy to just bend her belief systems due to peer pressure. And if she wants to eat meat then fine but I don't see why we should cater for her at home in the same way we do my son as she doesn't need us to. I pushed her into eating meat as a baby by feeding her it. Now I'm trying to educate her as to why we've made this change at home.
And, maybe I was being judgemental of meat eaters. I used to smoke and now I cant bear it when people do. Maybe there are three kinds of people- meat eaters,non-meat eaters and reformed meat eaters?!?! As I also said earlier, there has been an assumption that the issue I have with farming is one of welfare. At no point did I say that. But I do think its cruel to raise animals for meat, and I am entitled to my opinion. I do also think its cruel using animals for medical testing, cosmetic testing, sport, entertainment, clothing, even having companion animals if they are not cared for with the utmost respect.I can't stop my meds, but I can stop eating meat, buying leather, boycott horse and dog racing, give our family pets(mostly rescues) a healthy life and try to buy products that are cruelty free.Thats enough to be going on with I think.