Q. How can I find out if there is gluten in my prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs?

A.  In general, for over the counter drugs, such as aspirin, you need to check the ingredient list, especially the "inert" ingredients on the medicine label.  It is often in the fillers, that you might find the gluten, such as "starch" , which may contain gluten.

For prescription medications, I advise my patients to request that the prescribing physician write, "gluten-free" on the actual prescription.  This helps you in a couple of ways.  First, prescription medicines don't list their inert ingredients on the drug label.  But pharmacies have many resources, including the PDR, in which they can verify that the medication is indeed gluten-free.  You can also call the manufacturer and ask about their medicine.

Here is an excellent web resource to help you identify both gluten-free medications and those containing gluten:
     Gluten Free Drugs:A source of information for gluten free drugsGluten Free Drugs:A source of information for gluten free drugs

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Copyright ©2008-2010 by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD  Published at http://www.EvelynTribole.com

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