Is ibuprofen gluten-free?
Looks mostly clean — worth verifying with the maker. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 19 product labels we checked, 11 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 8 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.
Drug context
About ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is an NSAID used for pain, fever, and inflammation, sold under brand names including Advil, Motrin.
Why this matters
Different manufacturers, different ingredients
Generics of ibuprofen 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 19 we checked
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01Actavis worth a call to confirmView source label →
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02Amneal worth a call to confirmView source label →
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03Amneal worth a call to confirmView source label →
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04Amneal worth a call to confirmView source label →
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05Amneal worth a call to confirmView source label →
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06Aurolife worth a call to confirmView source label →
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07Gemini worth a call to confirmView source label →
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08Gemini worth a call to confirmView source label →
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09Select Consumer Group LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ALUMINUM OXIDE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · FERRIC OXIDE RED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
10Select Consumer Group nothing flagged on the label
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 → -
11TOP CARE (Topco Associates LLC) nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients GELATIN · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 600 · POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE · SORBITAN · SORBITOL · WATER
View source label → -
12Unit Dose Solutions, Inc. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
13Unit Dose Solutions, Inc. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (5 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POVIDONE K90 · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
14Unit Dose Solutions, Inc. nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE 101 · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 3350 · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE K30 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
15St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · HYPROMELLOSES · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM CITRATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · TALC
View source label → -
16DOLGENCORP INC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · GELATIN · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 600 · POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE · SORBITAN · SORBITOL · WATER
View source label → -
17St. Mary's Medical Park Pharmacy nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE 101 · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 3350 · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE K30 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STEARIC ACID · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
18BJWC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · GELATIN · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE · SORBITAN · SORBITOL · WATER
View source label → -
19(manufacturer not listed) nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients Trometamol · Sodium chloride · Sodium hydroxide (for pH adjustment) · Hydrochloric acid (for pH adjustment) · Water for injections · water for injections. See section 2. Ibuprofen Gen.Orph contains sodium
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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