So. How would you feel if you found gelatin in your medicine/supplements?

Whelps, I'm taking an herbal supplement to balance my hormones. My parents and I both don't like me being on formal BC for my period (since it does absolutely nothin', and none of the medicine they've been putting me on is all that safe for long term usage), so we've been taking this one brand of herbal pill thingies that do actually help.

I was reading the label today just because it was there and I wanted to see what was in it..

Then I realized it had "Kosher Gelatin" in it and I was shocked. ;~; This blend is so far the only thing that has me balanced... and it has gelatin in it. Gahhh. I can't really stop taking it at this millisecond because that bottle cost quite a bit of money, and my parents can't afford to try anything else right now.

So, in your personal opinion, what would you do? Continue taking it or go attempt to find something else?

(I'm assuming this is in the right place, it be vegetarian and all. :0)

Do you ever eat jello?

Who cares? There are far more serious things to worry about in life.

Clearly miket53, Kaybug cares, hence the question. I wouldn't have thought your comment necessary.

Kaybug, I would "Google" to see if there is a vegetarian alternative out there for you. If what you are taking is in capsule form then the gelatine (YUK!) will be in the casing so maybe you could make a small hole with a pin and remove the liquid that way, though obviously this is still not ideal but may help slightly in the short term.

I would definitely Google to find an alternative.

Good luck, I know where you are coming from. I was given anti biotics recently and refused to take them when I realised they contained gelatine.

Incidentally, if you eat jello, it contains gelatine but there are veggie versions out there you just need to search.x

It's not food, it's medicine. Take it and pretend you never read the label. The amount of gelatin in one vitamin tablet would be miniscule, and you said it IS helping your hormonal problem. That makes it medicine.

I apologize. Now that I thought about it my previous post was a bit harsh.

lol, s'okay miket!  For most people, your first post is defiantly true: don't freak over the little things and feel as if your vegetarianismness is over because you accidently took something for your well being that has gelatin in it. I defiantly don't read ingredients listings religiously, but if I do and find something like that in my medicine I feel like I should probably consider not taking it anymore. It's all in good intention, which is why I was curious what others would do to make sure I'm not being ridiculous. :D Indirect constructive feedback, I guess?

smidgekat - I think I'll do that. Perhaps there's other blends out there that could help my hormones, be vegetarian friendly, aaaand are way cheaper then what I'm taking now. Thank you.

FYI, kosher gelatin is made from agar agar, a type of seaweed, not from animals.  So you're ok.  It's vegan.

clairelaine.. really? I read in many places kosher gelatin is derived from some variety of fish. :0

If it really is seaweed, then you've just saved me a lot of money and time. ♥

This might sound selfish, but if my health was at stake I would still take it.

Plus you bought it already.

Think about it this way... If you bought a jacket from a store and later found out little kids made that shirt with little pay would you throw the jacket away as a way for making up for it and going jacket less in the winter becuase you can't afford a replcement or would you still keep it (even if it's just temporary) for the sake of safety?

Kosher gelatin COULD be agar agar, but it could also be made from fish bones or beef skins according to a google search I just did.  I used to buy marshmallows with kosher gelatin made from fish, so unless it specifies, it is hard to tell.

That being said, I think you are right to finish up what you have anyway, so you are not wasting it.  And before you buy the next bottle, see if there are affordable similar options so you don't have to worry about it anymore.  There are vegan vitamins and herbal supplements available trhough the internet at fairly reasonable prices.

ok, I'm not vegetarian so if that was my medication, I'd still take it but...

I don't know what kind of hormone issue(s) you are dealing with but maybe you can get similar medication in a cream form?  This website could help:

http://www.life-flo.com/

They list the ingredients of each product right on that product's page and say that no animal testing so maybe no animal ingredients either?  In you don't find the information you're looking for, here is their contact info:

Contact Us:

Mailing Address:
Life-flo Health Care Products Inc.
11202 N 24th Avenue,
Phoenix, Arizona 85029

Toll Free: 1-800-258-8337
Fax: 602-995-5564
care @ life-flo.com

Best of luck!

Original Post by kaybug:

Whelps, I'm taking an herbal supplement to balance my hormones. My parents and I both don't like me being on formal BC for my period (since it does absolutely nothin', and none of the medicine they've been putting me on is all that safe for long term usage), so we've been taking this one brand of herbal pill thingies that do actually help.

I was reading the label today just because it was there and I wanted to see what was in it..

Then I realized it had "Kosher Gelatin" in it and I was shocked. ;~; This blend is so far the only thing that has me balanced... and it has gelatin in it. Gahhh. I can't really stop taking it at this millisecond because that bottle cost quite a bit of money, and my parents can't afford to try anything else right now.

So, in your personal opinion, what would you do? Continue taking it or go attempt to find something else?

(I'm assuming this is in the right place, it be vegetarian and all. :0)

There are PLENTY of studies showing that long term usage of birth control pills are safe.  In fact there is no increase in breast cancer risk and a decrease in ovarian cancer risk.  In fact what evidence do you have that the herbal supplements are safe?  That they are what they say they are?  Remember belladonna is a plant and that is poisonous.  I am not suggesting that you take something that doesn't work for you but be careful thinking that just because something comes from a plant it must automatically be OK.  The first medicines were all plants.  Aspirin comes from the bark of the willow tree and is fatal in overdose, digitalis which is powerful heart medicine comes from the foxglove and can kill you.  Furthermore since there is no regulation of herbals they can put anything they want in there.  Recently there have been stories of herbal supplements containing prescription medications that were not on the label and when they did testing of the St. John's Wort supplement (which works in the same biochemical manner as prozac) was tested they found the active ingredient was as low as 10% of what was reported on the bottle and as high as 1000%.  Understand -- I am not knocking herbal supplements - I take them, but don't function under illusions.

Kaybug,

Sorry to say it, but you'll find gelatin in almost all capsules on the market. They do sell some made of non-animal gelatin, but this would mean stuffing them with the medication or herb yourself. Is it something you can buy in loose form?If so, then maybe you can do it this way and skip the gelatin.

Sadly, drugs on the market are all tested on animals prior to being FDA approved. They have to run animal trials to get things approved.

This might not apply to herbal remedies but sooner or later, we're all going to need western medicine. Antibiotics, birth control, pain relievers, etc. At some point in our lives, we all need to take medications that were tested on animals.

No one can be perfect in veganism or animal concern, you know?

I'm not a vegetarian myself because chicken is not a vegetable, but I minimize my animal products, help with pet rescues, donate money, do all the petitions, etc etc. I really do try to keep my 'bad impact' at a low.

I don't feel good about eating chicken either of course, but I can't live on tofu and beans for protein..I've tried and with IBS, this creates issues I won't gross you out with.

I do always go for the cage free, organic stuff when possible, though.

All any of us can do is minimize..no such thing as going one's whole life without ever consuming something that came from an animal, was tested on one, etc.

Maybe they'll make better advances at some point.

Original Post by kajikit:

It's not food, it's medicine. Take it and pretend you never read the label. The amount of gelatin in one vitamin tablet would be miniscule, and you said it IS helping your hormonal problem. That makes it medicine.

It's the principle of it. I once bought some pills that  I needed but found out they had gelatin... so I threw them away and got a different brand. You are supporting the killing of animals by buying anything with animal products in it. That's why it matters... I don't know if that is why she is vegetarian, but if it's because she doesn't believe in hurting animals, then she should not be eating ANYTHING with gelatin in it.

Kaybug, it sounds like you really need these pills so I would suggest continuing to take the rest in the bottle, but do not purchase them again. If you could live without them... then throw them away or return them if it's possible.