Welcome to Gluten Free Drugs
A source of information for gluten free drugs
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
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.
If you have any additional questions please contact me through the glutenfreedrugs.com website.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST-IMPORTANT !!!
NFCA
is conducting an FDA sponsored survey of people who are gluten-free's experiences with
Gluten in Medication. The
survey takes between 4-15 minutes to complete. It closes on February 28, 2012.
NFCA
urges all people who are following a gluten-free diet to participate. Participants will be
asked about their experiences taking medicine. They will also be asked to share
information if they think they might have had a gluten-related reaction to an
over-the-counter or prescription medicine. More information about the study can be found
at
http://www.celiaccentral.org/research-news/gluten-in-medications-survey-now-available-from-nfca/
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MEDICATIONS AND ADDITIONAL LINKS
For a list by therapeutic category
For a list by therpeutic catagory in printable PDF
format
For an alphabetical list in
printable PDF format
Walgreens
gluten free OTC drug list
Vicks Nature Fusion (click on this link for press release and gluten statement and below to access web site)
http://www.vicks.com/nature-
Wheaton Gluten Free
Support Group medication list
For a list that explains what some of the fillers are in drugs
Links to various local and national associations and support groups
Updated 1/16/2012
This website is authored and maintained by a clinical pharmacist 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.
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To contact the author and webmaster, please email me at: mailto:glutenfreedrugs@gmail.com
Please note: I am not able to check the email daily, so please be patient. I will attempt to address all questions as quickly as possible.
