Research into Guai Product Report
Date Fri, 24 May 2002

From Tesa Marcon vashtii@OPTUSHOME.COM.AU
Subject [GG] All: Research into Guai Product Report.
To GUAI-SUPPORT@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU

Fri, 24 May 2002 14:49:03 +1000

Dear Guais,

From time to time, someone reports to the list that a particular brand of guai did not work for them. However, any time one person states "Brand X" doesn't work, other people who use "Brand X" report that it works fine.

Many have wondered how to interpret these conflicting experiences.  A couple of my helpers (project assistants Terry K & Amy H) have contacted manufacturers and pharmacists (i.e. chemists) for their perspectives on these reports. The results of their research is detailed below. I acknowledge and thank all my helpers because there has been a lot of backlist discussion which guided the course of this research. 

First, there are several terms (LA, QA and OTC) used in this report that I want to define for you. LA guai is made to dissolve slowly, over a 12 hour period. QA stands for quick acting. QA provides for an immediate release of medication. OTC stands for 'over the counter' and means that it can be purchased without a prescription.

Several pharmacists were not surprised that we hear reports that "Brand X" works for some people and not others. There is no "best" brand of guai or "bad" brand. This also applies to types of guai, i.e. QA vs LA. Instead, some (but not all) people may find that their own body responds differently to different brands and types.

Each manufacturer makes their product slightly different, from how tightly the tablet is compressed to different inactive ingredients. These differences may or may not matter for a particular person. For example, some manufacturers include lactose, some people may have a problem with lactose and other's do not. This could apply to other ingredients as well. One person's digestive system may be able to break down a tightly compressed tablet whereas another person's may not. Also, some people don't do well with the LA form of medications and may need a QA form of guai.

The manufacturers we contacted (5) stated that there is no coating on their LA guai. If the tablet is uncoated and comes out in your stool then it did not dissolve properly. If you see a tablet in your stool contact your manufacturer to find out if you should return the remaining guai to them for further testing. They cannot fix a problem if they don't know that it exists.

Note that we did not contact all manufacturers. If you have questions about a particular brand of guai, please consult your pharmacist (chemist) for specific information.

Some suggestions gleaned from our discussions with 5 mfg's and 4 pharmacists

1. LA Guai should be taken with at least 8 ounces (i.e. a glass) of water in order to dissolve properly.

2. Do not take guai with juices, use water instead. Substances in juice may bind with medications, altering their absorption.

It has been reported that grapefruit juice alters the absorption of some medications. The effect depends on the medication. We have no way of knowing how it will affect guai without specific studies of guai and grapefruit juice.

3. Proper storage of your meds is important. Heat and/or humidity can affect the efficacy of medications so store your guai properly, and buy from sellers you trust to do the same.

- Store away from heat and direct light.

- Do not store medicine in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.

- Do not leave the cotton plug in a medicine container that has been opened; the cotton may draw moisture into the container.

- Do not leave the cap off the bottle

4. Some (but not all) manufacturers use lactose in their tablets. This is true of other medications in addition to guai. If you are lactose intolerant, consult with your pharmacist regarding any medications you take to determine which brands don't contain lactose. As of this date Ethex and Caraco are the two that contain lactose but as mentioned before, we only contacted 5 mfg's

5. If you suspect that a particular brand of guai didn't work well for you, ask your pharmacist to only give you the brand(s) that you find most effective.

If you think you are having problems, first and foremost, *follow the protocol* to find your cycling dose, monitor your progress, and check for sals. These methods have stood the test of time and should be your first line of inquiry. If you have followed the protocol for finding your dose, monitoring your progress and checking for sals (asking for help, if necessary) and none of these things fix your problem, consider breaking your tablets into several pieces (breaking only along the score line will not remove the time release mechanism), crushing and putting into a capsule or switching brands. If breaking the time release mechanism works for you, you may want to consider switching to a quick acting form of guai.

Two pharmacists mentioned that some individuals won't do well with the various LA forms of medications. Anecdotal evidence points to some of the newer OTC QA guai products working well for some people who were experiencing very little to no recovery on the LA guai.

Keep in mind that there is only anecdotal evidence that breaking tablets or switching brands has helped some people. These individuals already knew their cycling dose and were experienced/thorough with sal checks. They encountered problems after good success with guai that they could not otherwise explain a dramatic shift in cycling pattern, often characterized by severe, constant pain; a return of symptoms that had previously become stable and disappeared long ago; and/or a change in their rate of progress, accompanied by maps confirming the change.

The above efforts may or may not help in a particular situation. For example, remember that some people have eventually found hidden sals even though they had already done multiple checks. As another example, remember that some people who suddenly felt worse discovered they had a new medical problem unrelated to FMS/CFS.

A report of our findings was sent to Dr. St. Amand's office and they informed us that they were following through with their own research.   *NOTE: see below for his rejection of our findings

We hope this information is of use, and that it helps to address a topic that has puzzled all of us. If you have any questions, please write to the list and Wendy, Terry, one of the Buddies or I  will respond.

We will do our best to address questions as quickly as possible. Please be patient if you don't get an immediate response.

If you've had a particular problem with progress and overcame it with Guai brand or Type changes please feel welcome to share your experience.

A FAQ Guai Product Troubleshooter has been created on the web site to help troubleshoot this issue.

A Protocol Troubleshooter has also been developed.

This Troubleshooting Questionnaire might also help some:

The above links are under 'The Guai Protocol' heading at the home page and in the link panel to the right of every page. There are also links within the above URLs to each other where it was decided they'd be helpful.

If there is a problem with any links please let me know. 

Warmest regards,

Tesa Marcon (AIM tesa4vashti - type or *talk* - ICQ 95437893 - MSN)
International Guai-Support Network Owner - Manager
Guai-Support Web Site http//www.psha-inc.com/guai-support/

Revised October 7, 2002
http://www.psha-inc.com/guai-support/FAQ_Guai_Product_Troubleshooter.htm

Above revised according to new information

October 17, 2003:

FDA Proposes Steps to Assure the Safety and Efficacy of Certain Currently Unapproved Medicines
 

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