Gluten-free Drugs

No, I don’t mean illegal drugs.  I mean over-the-counter & prescription drugs.  It just dawned on me today that I have never really blogged on gluten-free things other than food.  In addition to making sure food is gluten-free, Celiacs/gluten intolerant individuals also need to check any medications that they may take orally.  IV drugs don’t need to be gluten-free, as they don’t go through your digestive system.  Cosmetics are another whole category of items that need to be checked for their gluten-free status.  I am currently working on a post for cosmetics now, too. 

There is one great website for gluten-free drug information.  This site is run & maintained by a clinical pharmacist as a public service.  I have found this site to be very useful over the past several years since I have been gluten-free.  There are some newer medications that aren’t on the list yet and some generics as well. 

Walgreen’s will print a list of all of their Walgreen Brand gluten-free drugs for you.  Just go to the pharmacy & ask them for it.  It is very nice to keep on hand.  One nice thing I found at Walgreen’s – their brand of Tum’s/antacid is listed as gluten -free and the Tum’s brand contains gluten. 

Meijer (for those in the Mid-West) has a list of their brand name gluten-free medications (and food too) online.  It is fairly extensive.  I take their generic brand of Motrin/Advil & Tylenol.  Much cheaper, gluten-free and works well. 

Some prescription drugs that we have used in the past year that I can tell you are gluten-free are: Singulair (5 mg. chewables), Lexapro, Ambien CR, Fluticasone – made by Hi-tech Pharmaceuticals (generic for Flonase). 

Make sure to check your medications periodically as ingredients and/or suppliers can change. 

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Check out my latest article on The Examiner about the upcoming Celiac Conference here in Columbus in November. 

Hope you all are having a nice weekend!  GO BUCKEYES!!!  (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!)