Does hydrochlorothiazide contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each hydrochlorothiazide 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 18 product labels we checked, 10 are clean, 2 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 6 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 hydrochlorothiazide 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 hydrochlorothiazide 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 August 19, 2026 · 18 product labels screened

Is hydrochlorothiazide gluten-free?

By Ned Walsch

Founder and maintainer of Gluten Screen

Updated August 20, 2026

Not clinically reviewed — verify with your pharmacist

Looks mostly clean — worth verifying with the maker. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 18 product labels we checked, 10 are clean, 2 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 6 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Drug context

About hydrochlorothiazide

Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic used for high blood pressure, sold under brand names including Microzide.

Why this matters

Different manufacturers, different ingredients

Generics of hydrochlorothiazide 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 18 we checked

01

Mylan manufacturer-attested gluten-free

Plogsted list · Candesartan Cilexetil - Hydrochlorothiazide all strengths [Mylan] · label dated 2019-04-23

Manufacturer confirmed gluten-free (Plogsted 2019-04-23)
View source label →
02

Mylan manufacturer-attested gluten-free

Plogsted list · Hydrochlorothiazide capsule 12.5 mg [Mylan] · label dated 2019-04-23

Manufacturer confirmed gluten-free (Plogsted 2019-04-23)
View source label →
03

Apotex worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Candesartan Cilexetil - Hydrochlorothiazide all strengths [Apotex] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
04

Par worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Candesartan Cilexetil - Hydrochlorothiazide all strengths [Par] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
05

Mylan worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Captopril-Hydrochlorothiazide [Mylan] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
06

Accord worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrochlorothiazide tablet 12.5 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg [Accord] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
07

Actavis worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrochlorothiazide tablet 12.5 mg [Actavis] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
08

Actavis worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrochlorothiazide capsule 12.5 mg [Actavis] · label dated 2019-04-23
View source label →
09

ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · BISOPROLOL FUMARATE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [ANI PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.] · label dated Aug 17, 2026

Inactive ingredients CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, DIBASIC, ANHYDROUS · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 ALUMINUM LAKE · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
10

Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · BISOPROLOL FUMARATE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS U… · label dated Aug 13, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CROSPOVIDONE (15 MPA.S AT 5%) · DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSES · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
11

Viona Pharmaceuticals Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · BISOPROLOL FUMARATE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [VIONA PHARMACEUTICALS … · label dated Aug 10, 2026

Inactive ingredients ALUMINUM OXIDE · ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE · CROSPOVIDONE (35 .MU.M) · D&C YELLOW NO. 10 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE 102 · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 8000 · SILICON DIOXIDE · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
12

Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · BISOPROLOL FUMARATE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [UNICHEM PHARMACEUTICALS (USA), INC.] · label dated Aug 10, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · COPOVIDONE K25-31 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (5 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 6000 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
13

ScieGen Pharmaceuticals, INC. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · VALSARTAN AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [SCIEGEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.] · label dated Jul 31, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSPOVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
14

Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LOSARTAN POTASSIUM AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [LUPIN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.] · label dated Jul 28, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) · HYPROMELLOSES · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
15

Sandoz Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · TRIAMTERENE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE CAPSULE [SANDOZ INC] · label dated Jul 27, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CITRIC ACID MONOHYDRATE · D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · GLYCINE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYSORBATE 80 · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
16

Redpharm Drug nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [REDPHARM DRUG] · label dated Jul 24, 2026
View source label →
17

Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [GOLDEN STATE MEDICAL … · label dated Jul 24, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 3350 · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 8000 · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL · SILICIFIED MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (125 .MICRO.M) · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
18

Golden State Medical Supply, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [GOLDEN STATE MEDICAL SUPPLY, INC.] · label dated Jul 24, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A CORN · STEARIC ACID
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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