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Pharmaceuticals
Important Reminder: The best way to determine if a drug is gluten free is to call the company yourself or have a pharmacist do so. Errors sometimes occur on the lists below. Also, the lists often don't say when the information was obtained, and it could be outdated. The Wheaton lists provides phone numbers for some of the pharmaceutical companies. Otherwise, you may have to "Google" it once you have determined who the manufacturer is. The pharmacist can determine who the manufacturer is for you.
Websites that provide lists of GF drugs:
- www.GlutenFreeDrugs.com. This site is maintained by clinical pharmacist Steve Plogsted.
- Wheaton GF support group's medlist: A 35-page document that lists medications, nutritional products, and vitamins. They also provide a list of drug companies that have a policy of producing all gluten-free drugs. To access this PDF, go to homepage.mac.com/sholland/celiac/ and scan to the bottom of the page where it says "A list of gluten-free medications".
- Walgreens: A link to a PDF of their over-the-counter products gluten-free drugs can be found on the www.glutenfreedrugs.com site on the Home page.
- Pfizer provides an online list of their GF drugs.
- Clanthompson.com lists gluten-free prescription drugs by function. Go to "resources", and then "free info lists". Clan Thompson sells a more extensive list of GF drugs through its drug Smartlist software and its Pocket Guide to Prescription Drugs pamphlet.
More info about obtaining GF info:
- CVS pharmacies has a data base of their GF over-the-counter products.
They will look up specific products for you at 888-607-4287, Customer Relations.
- Rite-Aid brand: " Rite Aid's web
site has an excellent email service where you can tell them the
pharmacy product (name, strength, UPC number (located under the
barcode), lot number (located next to the expiration date), and
expiration date) and they'll look into it and get back to you." Brenda to SillyYak site 9/08
Further information/discussions about GF drugs:
Intravenous drugs: "You don't have to worry about any intravenous drugs. They are all gluten free". Gluten-Free Living magazine, Number 4, 2008, page 19. RMJ's note: Furthermore, since intravenous drugs by-pass the digestive system, they are okay for celiac patients.
Back to Product Updates Index
| Bayer Aspirin |
3/08 |
"We do not add any gluten to our products. However, we cannot guarantee that our products are 100% gluten-free as this product is produced in a facility that manufactures and/or packages other items which may contain gluten."
Frank Belinc, Bayer HealthCare, Consumer Advisor www.Bayeraspirin.com www.Bayerhealthcare.com |
| Beano Supplement |
1/08 |
The company states that testing shows only a .00016% gluten in Beano on their website in the FAQ section. www.beanogas.com |
| Benecol |
1/08 |
See McNeil Nutritionals statement. |
| Benefiber |
3/08 |
From their webstie: Does the new ingredient, Wheat Dextrin, have any ill effects on people who experience wheat allergies or wheat intolerance?
Benefiber® (N) Powder which contains less than 10 ppm of gluten, is considered 'gluten-free', based on the Codex Alimentarius Commission's proposed definition of less than 20 ppm. However, people who experience gluten intolerance should not consume any products, including Benefiber®, that contain any level of gluten unless otherwise directed by their doctor. http://www.benefiber.com/fiberHealth/index.shtml?faqs |
| Cepacol |
3/08
1/08 |
Their website, www.cepacol.com/faqs.asp, states "Cepacol Lozenges and Cepacol Sprays contain no gluten, wheat, or grain." In addition: "I just got off the phone with
a customer relations for Cepacol sore throat lozenges, who
assured me that "Cepacol lozenges have no gluten ingredients
and are produced in a facility that does not process wheat products." Ian
Chant, Bellingham, Washington 1/08 |
| Claritin |
1/08 |
"All forms of Claritin are naturally gluten free." Dawn, Claritin Consumer Relations www.claritin.com |
| COLD-EEZE |
308 |
"In the FAQ section of their website it states: "COLD-EEZE is a gluten-free product and is safe for people with celiac disease." www.coldeeze.com |
| Cortizone |
8/08 |
"Cortizone is a
gluten free product. Please let me know if I can assist you any further."
Tammie Holt, Consumer Affairs, Chattem, Inc., 1715 W 38th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37409 |
| Excedrin, etc. (Bristol Myers Squibb products) |
1/07 |
"In a follow-up call to Bristol Myers Squibb today, we spoke
with a supervisor concerning information we were given about a
re-formulation of Bristol Myers Squibb over the counter products.
The supervisor says we were given incorrect information yesterday.
NO BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBBS PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN REFORMULATED TO CONTAIN
WHEAT. ALL OVER THE COUNTER BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBBS PRODUCTS ARE
GLUTEN FREE except for Keri Lotion."
Lani K. Thompson, www.clanthompson.com |
| Flintstone Formulas |
1/08 |
On their website in the "Ingredient" section they state: "We do not add gluten to any of our products, however we cannot guarantee that they are 100% gluten-free due to the fact that raw materials we receive from outside vendors are not certified as 100% gluten-free." www.flintstonesvitamins.com |
| Halls Cough Drops |
2/09 |
"Hall's Cough Drops are gluten free." Cadbury Adams, the manufacturer, follows the "truth in labeling" policy, and any gluten would therefore be declared in the ingredients. To see the company statement on this, click here. http://www.gethalls.com/default.aspx |
| Imodium |
6/08 |
On their website in the FAQ section they state: "
Imodium Advanced Chewable Tablets and Imodium A-D Caplets have been tested and do not contain any detectable levels of gluten." http://www.imodium.com/page.jhtml?id=/imodium/include/faq.inc#q13 |
| Lactaid |
10/08 |
On their website they state: "LACTAID® Fast Act caplets and LACTAID® Original strength caplets do not contain gluten." Also see McNeil Nutritionals statement. |
| Metamucil |
3/08 |
"All Metamucil Powders and Capsules are gluten-free. Metamucil Wafers, however, contain gluten (Apple 0.7g/dose; Cinnamon 0.5g/dose) because they have wheat flour as an ingredient." http://www.metamucil.com/drmetamucil/faqs/index.shtml#faq14 |
| Ricola |
1/08 |
In the FAQ section of their website they state: "In the United States, there are no established government standards as to what can be considered gluten-free or what is safe for use in celiac patients. Our products contain less than 0.01% gluten. We urge you to share this information with your doctor or to contact the Celiac Sprue Association of the USA @1-877-csa-4csa. www.ricolausa.com |
| Scot-Tussin |
8/08 |
All their over-the-counter allery/cold/cough medications are labeled GF. Sold at CVS and other pharmacies. www.scot-tussin.com |
| TUMS |
7/08 |
In the FAQ section of their website they state "Although we do not use gluten as a filler in TUMS, there may be trace amounts of gluten in TUMS Smoothies Assorted Fruit and Berry Fusion flavors via ingredients that are supplied by outside vendors. Other varieties of TUMS do not contain gluten. Review the “inactive ingredients” section on the bottle label to see if the variety you have selected contains gluten. |
| Tylenol, Motrin, Imodium, Pepcid, Mylanta |
2/09 |
See GF list. |
| VIACTIV |
10/08 |
They state that the Viactiv Calcium Soft Chews and Flavor Glides, and the Multi-vitamin Soft Chews and Flavor Glides do not contain gluten. See McNeil Nutritionals
www.viactiv.com 1-877-842-2848 |
| Vick's (all products) |
3/08 |
From their website, it states in the FAQ section, (type in gluten free in the search window), "You'll be happy to know that none of our Vick's products contain gluten." www.vicks.com |
Back to Product Updates Index
, Founder of the Gluten Free Pantry and President of the American Celiac Disease Alliance (ACDA)
"Your pharmacist has access to a large resource book called “Physicians Desk
Reference” or PDR. Every medication (prescription and OTC) is listed along with a consumer
number to call with questions. I highly suggest you contact the drug manufacturer directly and
verify the gluten-free status of any drug you are taking. Even the minute amounts in a pill, taken
regularly, can cause problems. Note, you can also go to www.pdrhealth.com to find out the
manufacturer of a particular medication. I did not find phone numbers on their site, however, so
you might need to search further on the internet.
As for the FDA, they have not tackled the
medication issue as yet. A couple of years ago, the American Celiac Disease Alliance introduce a
bill to include such disclosure, but the bill did not pass. The Alliance keeps working on that issue as
it is a big concern for so many. Meanwhile, the good news is that more and more vitamins and
supplements are voluntarily labeling their products as “gluten-free” and “contains no wheat or
gluten.” I think you’ll see drug companies following suit." 2/09
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