Pharmaceuticals Guide

Information compiled by Sr. Jeanne Patricia Crowe, PharmD, RPh
and Nancy Patin Falini, MA, RD, 2000

Persons with gluten sensitivity (celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis) must avoid wheat, barley, rye, and oats and all derivatives of these gluten-containing grains if intestinal damage is to be avoided.

Inactive pharmaceutical ingredients produced from these grains may contain a small but significant amount of gluten. In an emergency, a parenteral formulation may be an alternative until a safe gluten-free oral formulation can be determined.

The source of each ingredient, if not specified, must be checked with the manufacturer.

Inactive ingredients not a source of gluten:

• Ingredients derived from corn, rice, potato, or tapioca
• Lactose (gluten free but may not be tolerated by some celiacs)

Inactive ingredients more likely to be a source of gluten:

• Dextri-maltose (may contain barley malt)
• Dusting powder
• Flour
• Gluten
• Pregelatinized starch
• Starch

Inactive ingredients less likely to be a source of gluten:

• Dextrin (usually from corn, but can be made from wheat)
• Caramel coloring (may contain barley malt or starch hydrolysates)
• Sodium starch glycolate (usually from potato, but can be made from any starch)

Inactive ingredients least likely to be a source of gluten:

• Alcohol (theoretically, the distillation process separates alcohol from gluten, but alcohol may cause problems in some celiacs)
• Maltodextrin (usually from corn, rarely from wheat)

Courtesy of Alamo Celiac GIG®. www.alamoceliac.org