Gluten-free medications may be important if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Common gastrointestinal issues includediarrhea, constipation, or heartburn, and you may need gluten-free options for symptom relief.
The Food and Drug Administration notes that most oral medications do not contain gluten.Anti-diarrhea medications, laxatives, and gluten-free antacids are available over-the-counter (OTC), but not all brands are gluten-free so read labels and talk to your healthcare provider to ensure you know which products are safe withceliac disease.
Gluten-Free Anti-Diarrhea Medications
Diarrhea may be the most common celiac disease symptom, and it’s also common withgluten sensitivity.Diarrhea can happen if you accidentally ingest gluten (sometimes called “gettingglutened”) and you may want to try an anti-diarrhea medication to treat symptoms.
It’s also possible that an OTC medication can help with another cause, like stomach flu or food poisoning. There are two main active ingredients in OTC anti-diarrhea medications:
Is Pepto Bismol Gluten-Free?
Gluten-Free Laxatives
Some people also find that probiotics help keep them regular. (Be sure to choose only gluten-free probiotics).However, once you’re actually constipated—whether it’sconstipation due to celiac diseaseor some other cause—you have several alternatives of OTC remedies:
Certain laxatives are considered gluten-free, including:
Phillips Milk of Magnesia, stool softener gel caps, and laxative caplets do not contain gluten. However, the manufacturer Bayer does not guarantee any gluten-free product apart from its probiotic capsules.Dulcolax and ex-lax do not market their products as gluten-free.
The bottom line on gluten-free laxatives: Assuming you shop around carefully, you can find a gluten-free laxative that contains a stool softener, an osmotic drug, or a senna-based drug. However, you’ll need to steer clear of some name-brand products.
Gluten-Free Antacids
It’s not uncommon for people with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity to have heartburn—that burning sensation in the upper chest.If you have heartburn or have been diagnosed with a co-occurring gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), there are OTC antacids you can take:
Gluten-free antacids on the market include:
Mylicon, a gas-relief product often used in babies and children, is a gluten-free formula.
Talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist about gluten-free drug options. Read labels to identify all ingredients, and keep in mind that the FDA requires dietary supplements like vitamins to carry a gluten-free label but the FDA rule doesn’t cover drugs.
Summary
Whether you need an antacid, anti-diarrheal medication, or a laxative, there are gluten-free alternatives available. You may have success at finding a generic version that’s “gluten-free.”
When purchasing over-the-counter drugs, make certain that you check packages for the “gluten-free” designation. If a product is truly gluten-free, it will say so, but it’s a good idea to check with your healthcare provider about gluten-free medications and your product choices.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food and Drug Administration.Medications and Gluten.Beyond Celiac.Gluten in Medications.Al-toma A, Volta U, Auricchio R, et al.European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders.United European Gastroenterol J. 2019;7(5):583-613. doi:10.1177/2050640619844125American Academy of Family Physicians.Anti-diarrheal medicines: OTC relief for diarrhea.Celiac Disease Foundation.Gluten in Medicine, Vitamins & Supplements.Amazon.Amazon Basic Care Store.Target Brands Inc.Loperamide Anti-diarrheal Suspension - Mint - 8 Fl OzWalgreens.Loperamide hydrochloride mint-flavored liquid.Zhao Y, Yu YB.Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation.Springerplus. 2016;5(1):1130. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2821-1American Academy of Family Physicians.Laxatives: OTC products for constipation.Senokot.Why Senokot?Bayer.Phillips Frequently Asked Questions.Irani MZ, Eslick GD, Burns GL, Potter M, Halland M, Keely S,et al.Coeliac disease is a strong risk factor for Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease while a gluten free diet is protective: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Apr 16;71:102577. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102577American Academy of Family Physicians.Antacids and acid reducers: OTC relief for heartburn and acid reflux.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA requests removal of all ranitidine products (Zantac) from the market.Mylicon.Children’s MYLICON® – All-in-One Tummy Relief Chewable Tablets for Kids.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Food and Drug Administration.Medications and Gluten.Beyond Celiac.Gluten in Medications.Al-toma A, Volta U, Auricchio R, et al.European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders.United European Gastroenterol J. 2019;7(5):583-613. doi:10.1177/2050640619844125American Academy of Family Physicians.Anti-diarrheal medicines: OTC relief for diarrhea.Celiac Disease Foundation.Gluten in Medicine, Vitamins & Supplements.Amazon.Amazon Basic Care Store.Target Brands Inc.Loperamide Anti-diarrheal Suspension - Mint - 8 Fl OzWalgreens.Loperamide hydrochloride mint-flavored liquid.Zhao Y, Yu YB.Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation.Springerplus. 2016;5(1):1130. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2821-1American Academy of Family Physicians.Laxatives: OTC products for constipation.Senokot.Why Senokot?Bayer.Phillips Frequently Asked Questions.Irani MZ, Eslick GD, Burns GL, Potter M, Halland M, Keely S,et al.Coeliac disease is a strong risk factor for Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease while a gluten free diet is protective: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Apr 16;71:102577. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102577American Academy of Family Physicians.Antacids and acid reducers: OTC relief for heartburn and acid reflux.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA requests removal of all ranitidine products (Zantac) from the market.Mylicon.Children’s MYLICON® – All-in-One Tummy Relief Chewable Tablets for Kids.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Food and Drug Administration.Medications and Gluten.Beyond Celiac.Gluten in Medications.Al-toma A, Volta U, Auricchio R, et al.European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders.United European Gastroenterol J. 2019;7(5):583-613. doi:10.1177/2050640619844125American Academy of Family Physicians.Anti-diarrheal medicines: OTC relief for diarrhea.Celiac Disease Foundation.Gluten in Medicine, Vitamins & Supplements.Amazon.Amazon Basic Care Store.Target Brands Inc.Loperamide Anti-diarrheal Suspension - Mint - 8 Fl OzWalgreens.Loperamide hydrochloride mint-flavored liquid.Zhao Y, Yu YB.Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation.Springerplus. 2016;5(1):1130. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2821-1American Academy of Family Physicians.Laxatives: OTC products for constipation.Senokot.Why Senokot?Bayer.Phillips Frequently Asked Questions.Irani MZ, Eslick GD, Burns GL, Potter M, Halland M, Keely S,et al.Coeliac disease is a strong risk factor for Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease while a gluten free diet is protective: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Apr 16;71:102577. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102577American Academy of Family Physicians.Antacids and acid reducers: OTC relief for heartburn and acid reflux.U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA requests removal of all ranitidine products (Zantac) from the market.Mylicon.Children’s MYLICON® – All-in-One Tummy Relief Chewable Tablets for Kids.
Food and Drug Administration.Medications and Gluten.
Beyond Celiac.Gluten in Medications.
Al-toma A, Volta U, Auricchio R, et al.European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders.United European Gastroenterol J. 2019;7(5):583-613. doi:10.1177/2050640619844125
American Academy of Family Physicians.Anti-diarrheal medicines: OTC relief for diarrhea.
Celiac Disease Foundation.Gluten in Medicine, Vitamins & Supplements.
Amazon.Amazon Basic Care Store.
Target Brands Inc.Loperamide Anti-diarrheal Suspension - Mint - 8 Fl Oz
Walgreens.Loperamide hydrochloride mint-flavored liquid.
Zhao Y, Yu YB.Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation.Springerplus. 2016;5(1):1130. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2821-1
American Academy of Family Physicians.Laxatives: OTC products for constipation.
Senokot.Why Senokot?
Bayer.Phillips Frequently Asked Questions.
Irani MZ, Eslick GD, Burns GL, Potter M, Halland M, Keely S,et al.Coeliac disease is a strong risk factor for Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease while a gluten free diet is protective: a systematic review and meta-analysis.EClinicalMedicine. 2024 Apr 16;71:102577. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102577
American Academy of Family Physicians.Antacids and acid reducers: OTC relief for heartburn and acid reflux.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA requests removal of all ranitidine products (Zantac) from the market.
Mylicon.Children’s MYLICON® – All-in-One Tummy Relief Chewable Tablets for Kids.
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