Gluten Free Drugs – Information Resource for Pharmacists and Patients
In the series, Gluten in Medications: A Dangerous Prescription for Patients with Celiac Disease, The Celiac Scene is sharing information about the resources recommended for pharmacists and patients in the United States.
Welcome to Gluten Free Drugs – A source of information for gluten free drugs for pharmacists and consumers
This website is authored and maintained by clinical pharmacist, Steve Plogsted, PharmD, “as a public service, receiving no compensation whatsoever for providing this information. Information for this website is obtained from a number of sources, including personal contact with the manufacturers and input from other individuals who contact manufacturers. The information is continually updated as it is obtained.”
“This site is for informational purposes only. Please note that a reasonable attempt is made to provide accurate information. The webmaster is not responsible for any error contained within. All persons should interpret the information with caution and should seek medical advice when necessary.”
Questions can directed to [email protected]
Medications and Additional Links
For a list by therapeutic category
For a list by therapeutic catagory in printable PDF format
For an alphabetical list
For an alphabetical list in printable PDF format
Walgreens gluten free OTC drug list
Tylenol Products
Vicks Nature Fusion
For a list that explains what some of the fillers are in drugs
Additional links of interest
Food links of interest
New list (Updated 11/6/2015)*
“In order to provide you more useful information I am putting together another list with the purpose of eliminating the other lists. This list is by no means complete yet and it is taking quite a while so please be patient. If you like this new format feel free to send me an email. Thanks.” Steve Plogstad.
A Word About Sugar Alcohols
“Some drug companies have been telling people that some of the drugs that they manufacture contain gluten. When I investigated their claims it appears that the reason they are blatantly claiming that their drugs are contaminated is because they have used a sugar alcohol as an excipient.
“Sugar alcohols are not truly sugars or alcohols rather they are carbohydrates that provide a source of calories. The sugar alcohols are naturally found in a number of fruits and vegetables and may be extracted from many sources including any starch, including wheat. During the manufacturing process they are completely refined leaving behind no gluten proteins similar to making table sugar. The mostly widely used sugar alcohols used in prescription drug manufacturing are mannitol and xylitol. Both of the products are used either as sweeteners in liquid drug products or as bulking agents in the solid dosage forms.
“The sugar alcohols are used in many diabetic products as well as in many health foods such as nutrition bars. Any person who consumes one of the sugar alcohols in significant quantities can experience gastrointestinal disturbances and diarrhea which may mimic symptoms celiac patients may suffer after being exposed to gluten.
“National celiac organizations such as the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America consider mannitol to be safe for use in celiac patients. Additionally, if you go to the Celiac.Com website dated 11/29/07 you will find a list of items safe for the celiac patient to consume. On that list you will also find both mannitol and xylitol as well as the following sugar alcohols sorbitol, maltitol, lactilol and isomalt.”
“What does this means for the celiac patient? If you happen to contact a drug company for information and you are told that a drug contains gluten you really need to push them to tell you which excipient in that drug product is considered the source of the gluten contamination. If it turns out to be one sugar alcohols you may wish to re-evaluate their response. While it is always up to the celiac patient to determine whether a product is safe for them, the prevailing literature continues to suggest that these sugar alcohols are safe for use.”
