{"id":5834,"date":"2019-09-13T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-09-13T13:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=5834"},"modified":"2021-04-16T15:07:01","modified_gmt":"2021-04-16T19:07:01","slug":"how-to-identify-gluten-free-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/how-to-identify-gluten-free-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"How to identify gluten-free drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Celiac disease is a serious genetic illness. It is an autoimmune disease triggered when a patient consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When a person with celiac disease consumes a product containing gluten, it causes damage to the small intestine, leading to poor absorption of nutrients from food and intense pain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because of these problems, people with celiac disease have to be very careful about the things they eat and drink (and sometimes even put on their body). The FDA regulates <\/span>gluten-free claims<\/span><\/a> on food labels and requires manufacturers to call out allergen ingredients on packaged foods. But there is no similar law or regulation that requires drug manufacturers to label gluten-containing versus <\/span>gluten-free drugs<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, it can be difficult for people with <\/span>celiac disease<\/span><\/a> to know whether or not a medicine is safe for them to take. We checked in with some experts to find out how you can tell if there is gluten in medications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is my medication gluten-free?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The good news is: Most medications do not contain gluten.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been demonstrated that the chances of a medication containing an amount of gluten that would be considered harmful or would cause a reaction in a highly sensitive patient is extremely unlikely,\u201d says Dr. Steve Plogsted, Pharm.D., a clinical pharmacist who maintains the website GlutenFreeDrugs.com.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, the FDA reports that the <\/span>vast majority of drugs contain no gluten<\/span><\/a> or not enough gluten to be harmful to patients with celiac disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

But even though gluten in medications is not a common problem, it can be a serious one. That is why it is important to check each medication carefully to see if it includes any gluten-containing ingredients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are a few guidelines for determining if you have gluten-free drugs:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. What does the medication look like?<\/span><\/h3>\n

According to Dr. Plogsted, if your medication is a clear liquid, it is probably safe. \u201cAll translucent liquids are free of starches,\u201d he says. If your medication is a pill, capsule, or non-translucent liquid, there\u2019s still a good chance that it is gluten-free, but you\u2019ll have to do a little more digging.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Read the ingredients label.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Remember, many medications contain the same active ingredients. But if they are made by different manufacturers, they might contain different inactive ingredients. That\u2019s where you might find gluten. Certain starches, such as corn, do not contain gluten. But a wheat starch on the label means that the medication is not safe for people with celiac disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes, your pharmacy may give you your prescription drugs in a vial with no documents from the manufacturer. If this happens, ask your pharmacist to give you the package insert. Alternatively, you can search for the drug name at <\/span>DailyMed<\/span><\/a>, a service of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that maintains a searchable database of package inserts. The materials on the website can be a little jargon-y, so you might want to skip to the section of the package insert titled “Description.” This is where you\u2019ll find the list of inactive ingredients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is a list of gluten-containing ingredients to look for, according to <\/span>Beyond Celiac<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n