Does Claritin contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each Claritin 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. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 10 product labels we checked, 8 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 2 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Can different manufacturers' generic versions of Claritin 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 Claritin 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.

Last verified May 17, 2026 · 10 product labels screened

Is Claritin gluten-free?

Looks mostly clean — worth verifying with the maker. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 10 product labels we checked, 8 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 2 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Drug context

About Claritin

Claritin is a brand name for loratadine — the brand-name non-drowsy antihistamine loratadine. 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 Claritin 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

Vespyr Brands LLC worth a call to confirm

US label (DailyMed) · CONTAC ALLERGY (LORATADINE) TABLET [VESPYR BRANDS LLC] · label dated May 11, 2026

Worth a call to the maker: SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
02

BETTER LIVING BRANDS, LLC worth a call to confirm

US label (DailyMed) · LORATADINE 10MG (LORATADINE) TABLET [BETTER LIVING BRANDS, LLC] · label dated Apr 20, 2026

Worth a call to the maker: SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE 101 · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A
View source label →
03

KROGER COMPANY nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LORATADINE TABLET [KROGER COMPANY] · label dated May 06, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
04

L. Perrigo Company nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · GOOD SENSE CHILDRENS ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET, CHEWABLE [L. PERRIGO COMPANY] · label dated Apr 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients ASPARTAME · D&C RED NO. 27 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MANNITOL · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SILICON DIOXIDE · STEARIC ACID
View source label →
05

CVS HEALTH CORP nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LORATADINE CAPSULE, LIQUID FILLED [CVS HEALTH CORP] · label dated Apr 28, 2026

Inactive ingredients CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC MONO/DIGLYCERIDES · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · GELATIN · POLYSORBATE 80 · POVIDONE · SORBITOL · WATER
View source label →
06

Sportpharm LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · MEDIQUE LORADAMED (LORATADINE) TABLET, FILM COATED [SPORTPHARM LLC] · label dated Apr 27, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
07

WALMART INC. (see also Equate) nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALL DAY ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET [WALMART INC. (SEE ALSO EQUATE)] · label dated Apr 20, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A CORN
View source label →
08

Camber Consumer Care Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LORATADINE (LORATADINE) SOLUTION [CAMBER CONSUMER CARE INC] · label dated Apr 13, 2026

Inactive ingredients EDETATE DISODIUM · GLYCERIN · MALTITOL · PHOSPHORIC ACID · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SODIUM BENZOATE · SODIUM PHOSPHATE, MONOBASIC · SORBITOL · SUCRALOSE · WATER
View source label →
09

Walgreen Company nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALLERGY RELIEF D 12 (LORATADINE, PSEUDOEPHEDRINE SULFATE) TABLET, FILM COATED, EXTENDED… · label dated Apr 13, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
10

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · CHILDRENS LORATADINE (LORATADINE) SOLUTION [SUN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES, INC.] · label dated Apr 09, 2026

Inactive ingredients CITRIC ACID MONOHYDRATE · GLYCERIN · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SODIUM BENZOATE · SODIUM METABISULFITE · 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 →

Keep checking

Other drugs people look up

Important. This page is informational. Drug labels can change without notice; a manufacturer attestation is point-in-time, not a warranty. If you have celiac disease and your pharmacy switches manufacturers, re-screen the new label before taking the dispensed product. For a definitive answer, call the manufacturer's medical-information line with the NDC code from your prescription bottle.