Does Benadryl contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each Benadryl product label against four data sources: DailyMed (FDA Structured Product Labels), the European Medicines Agency centrally-authorised medicines database, the Plogsted curated gluten-free drug list, and the 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric pharmacy NDC analysis. Inactive ingredients are scanned against a 146-entry red-flag dictionary covering wheat, barley, rye, malt, source-ambiguous starches, and FDA gluten-free attestation phrases. We checked 10 product labels for benadryl and didn't find any ingredients on our gluten red-flag list. Worth noting — this isn't the same as a manufacturer attestation. Formulations can change without notice, and starch sources aren't always disclosed.

Can different manufacturers' generic versions of Benadryl have different gluten status?

Yes. Generics in the United States must use the same active ingredient as the brand, but they are not required to use the same inactive ingredients. Two generics of Benadryl from different manufacturers can use entirely different starch sources, binders, and fillers. A pharmacy may also switch which manufacturer it dispenses between fills without notifying you. Each manufacturer-specific entry below corresponds to a separately-filed product label.

DailyMed checked live · reference data updated May 17, 2026 · 10 product labels screened

Is Benadryl gluten-free?

Nothing on the labels looks like gluten. We checked 10 product labels for benadryl and didn't find any ingredients on our gluten red-flag list. Worth noting — this isn't the same as a manufacturer attestation. Formulations can change without notice, and starch sources aren't always disclosed.

Drug context

About Benadryl

Benadryl is a brand name for diphenhydramine — the brand-name first-generation antihistamine diphenhydramine. The active ingredient is the same across brand and generic versions, but inactive ingredients (excipients) can differ between manufacturers, which is the whole point of this page.

Why this matters

Different manufacturers, different ingredients

Generics of Benadryl use the same active ingredient, but they aren't required to use the same inactive ingredients. Your pharmacy may switch which manufacturer they dispense between fills, sometimes without telling you. The list below shows each manufacturer's product label as a separate entry, because that's the granularity that actually matters when you're celiac.

The labels

The 10 we checked

01

Health Pharma USA LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · DIPHENHYDRAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [HEALTH PHARMA USA LLC] · label dated Jul 02, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · D&C RED NO. 27 · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SILICON DIOXIDE · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
02

Walgreen Company nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALLERGY RELIEF (DIPHENHYDRAMINE HCL) TABLET, FILM COATED [WALGREEN COMPANY] · label dated Jul 01, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STEARIC ACID · TALC
View source label →
03

Rite Aid Corporation nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALLERGY RELIEF (DIPHENHYDRAMINE HCL) TABLET, FILM COATED [RITE AID CORPORATION] · label dated Jul 01, 2026

Inactive ingredients D&C RED NO. 27 ALUMINUM LAKE · DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
04

HHH Pharmaceuticals nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ACETAMINOPHEN, DIPHENHYDRAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, AND PHENYLEPHRINE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLET, F… · label dated Jun 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE K30 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
05

Strive Pharmaceuticals Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · RIGHT REMEDIES EXTRA STRENGTH PAIN RELIEF PM CAPLET (ACETAMINOPHEN, DIPHENHYDRAMINE HYD… · label dated Jun 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
06

WALMART INC. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · PAIN RELIEVER PM (ACETAMINOPHEN, DIPHENHYDRAMINE HCL) TABLET, COATED [WALMART INC.] · label dated Jun 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients AMMONIA · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 3 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
07

Chain Drug Marketing Association, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ACETAMINOPHEN PM (ACETAMINOPHEN, DIPHENHYDRAMINE HCL) TABLET, COATED [CHAIN DRUG MARKET… · label dated Jun 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients AMMONIA · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 3 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
08

CalmCo LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · CALMCO ALLERGY RELIEF (DIPHENHYDRAMINE HCL) SOLUTION [CALMCO LLC] · label dated Jun 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE · GLYCERIN · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SODIUM BENZOATE · SORBITOL · SUCRALOSE · WATER · XYLITOL
View source label →
09

Select Consumer Group nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ADVIL PM (DIPHENHYDRAMINE CITRATE AND IBUPROFEN) TABLET, COATED [SELECT CONSUMER GROUP] · label dated Jun 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients CALCIUM STEARATE · CARNAUBA WAX · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYDEXTROSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
10

CalmCo LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · CALMCO SLEEP AID (DIPHENHYDRAMINE HCL) CHEWABLE GEL [CALMCO LLC] · label dated Jun 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients BETADEX · CARRAGEENAN · CORN SYRUP · SUCRALOSE · SUCROSE · WATER
View source label →

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Background

What “gluten in a medication” actually means

Gluten enters drugs through their excipients — the inactive ingredients used to bind, coat, fill, or stabilize the dose. The main concern is wheat starch as a filler. Source-ambiguous starches (plain “starch”, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, modified starch) get flagged for verification because their botanical origin isn't always disclosed on the label.

The 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric NDC analysis (689 NDCs across the top 100 pediatric medications) found 1.5% contained gluten outright; another 25.7% couldn't be confirmed either way. Liquid and oral-suspension formulations carry disproportionate risk because wheat starch is a common thickener. Full methodology →

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