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 May 17, 2026 · 18 product labels screened

Is hydrochlorothiazide gluten-free?

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

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LISINOPRIL AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE (LISINOPRIL AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLETS) TABLET … · label dated Jul 01, 2026

Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MANNITOL · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
10

Northwind Health Company, LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · TRIAMTERENE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [NORTHWIND HEALTH COMPANY, LLC] · label dated Jun 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SILICON DIOXIDE
View source label →
11

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated Jun 26, 2026

Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
12

Unit Dose Solutions, Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [UNIT DOSE SOLUTIONS, INC.] · label dated Jun 24, 2026

Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
13

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LISINOPRIL AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE (LISINOPRIL AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLETS) TABLET … · label dated Jun 23, 2026

Inactive ingredients DIBASIC CALCIUM PHOSPHATE DIHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MANNITOL · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
14

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated Jun 23, 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 →
15

ScieGen Pharmaceuticals Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · OLMESARTAN MEDOXOMIL AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [SCIEGEN PHARMACEUTICA… · label dated Jun 23, 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 →
16

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · TRIAMTERENE AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE CAPSULE [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK PHARMACY] · label dated Jun 23, 2026

Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CITRIC ACID MONOHYDRATE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN · GLYCINE · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (3 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
17

St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LOSARTAN POTASSIUM AND HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET, FILM COATED [ST. MARY'S MEDICAL PARK… · label dated Jun 23, 2026

Inactive ingredients D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
18

Leading Pharma, LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE TABLET [LEADING PHARMA, LLC] · label dated Jun 15, 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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