Medications & Celiac Disease

March 10, 2024

This is a tough topic and the main reason being, medications do not have any labeling guidelines or requirements for labeling gluten or common allergens. The best way to get answers is by talking with your doctor, pharmacist and the drug manufacturer. 

It is extremely important to note that this information can change at any time due to changes in manufacturer or ingredients. Gluten can be used in the inactive ingredients in medications. Potential sources of gluten in medications are not well recognized by most providers and generic drugs may use different binders than name brand drugs.

The following (inactive) ingredients are ones you should look out for, as they may be sourced from wheat, rye or barley. Some ingredients on this list does not automatically mean they are derived from gluten but, further investigation is needed to determine if derived from wheat, rye or barley.

• Wheat

• Modified starch (if source is not specified)

• Pregelatinized starch (if source is not specified)

• Pregelatinized modified starch (if source is not specified)

• Dextrates (if source is not specified)

• Dextrin (if source is not specified; the source is usually corn or potato which is
  acceptable)

• Dextrimaltose (when barley malt is used)

• Caramel coloring (when barley malt is used)

A good resource to start with is www.glutenfreedrugs.com.