Karin McDonough wrote:
>> From: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
>>
>> does anyone know if there are any dairy ingredients in the drug  Lopressor?  
>> My son is having a reaction to the drug.  Thanks for your  help.
>>
>> Stefanie
>>
>>     
>  
> According to rxlist.com, one of the inactive ingredients is lactose.
>  
>  
> Karin
>
>
>
>   
I just followed the link to rxlist.com.  I don't know Lopressor so I 
don't know if there are generics that are prescribed in place of it (and 
if it's like my pharmacy, it'll say on the label that it's supplied in 
place of the brand name drug), but the rxlist.com listing did not 
identify anywhere that I could see who the manufacturer of the tablets 
that they were listing inactives for.

Which is the caution --- although the active ingredient may be the same, 
different manufaturers may make them differently.  What may not have 
lactose in the brand name pill may have it in the generic --- and vice 
versa.  My pharmacy is very good about searching out lactose-free 
alternatives for me when I need prescriptions. 

My suggestions:  1) in this case, your best bet really is to contact the 
pharmacy that filled it and ask them to confirm if there is lactose in 
the pill they provided - they have to know exactly what they gave you; 
and 2) ask for the package insert from the medication you're receiving.  
In most cases the pharmacy will be more than happy to provide it, and if 
they say they can't give it to you ask them to at least photocopy the 
ingredient list.  More than once over the years, I've found lactose in 
medications that even the pharmacy folks missed.

Eric