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!)
