Is diphenhydramine gluten-free?
Nothing on the labels looks like gluten. We checked 10 product labels for diphenhydramine 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 diphenhydramine
Diphenhydramine is a first-generation antihistamine used for allergies and as a sleep aid, sold under brand names including Benadryl.
Why this matters
Different manufacturers, different ingredients
Generics of diphenhydramine 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
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01Reckitt Benckiser LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · EDETATE DISODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · GLYCERIN · PROPYL GALLATE · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SODIUM BENZOATE · SORBITOL · SUCRALOSE · TRISODIUM CITRATE DIHYDRATE · WATER · XANTHAN GUM
View source label → -
02Medical Purchasing Solutions, LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients HYDROCHLORIC ACID · SODIUM HYDROXIDE · WATER
View source label → -
03Reckitt Benckiser LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · EDETATE DISODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · GLYCERIN · PROPYL GALLATE · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SODIUM BENZOATE · SORBITOL · SUCRALOSE · TRISODIUM CITRATE DIHYDRATE · WATER · XANTHAN GUM
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04Rite Aid Corporation nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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05Walgreen Company nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · CROSPOVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C RED NO. 40 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 ALUMINUM LAKE · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MALTODEXTRIN · METHACRYLIC ACID AND ETHYL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM BICARBONATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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06Family Dollar Services Inc nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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07Walgreen Company nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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08CVS Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · GELATIN · GLYCERIN · LECITHIN, SOYBEAN · LIGHT MINERAL OIL · MANNITOL · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SORBITAN · SORBITOL · WATER
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09Savings Distributors LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CARNAUBA WAX · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · D&C RED NO. 27 ALUMINUM LAKE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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10Savings Distributors LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CARNAUBA WAX · CROSPOVIDONE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · POVIDONE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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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