Does loratadine contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each loratadine 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, 9 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 1 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 loratadine 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 loratadine 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 · 10 product labels screened

Is loratadine 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, 9 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 1 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Drug context

About loratadine

Loratadine is a second-generation non-drowsy antihistamine for allergies, sold under brand names including Claritin.

Why this matters

Different manufacturers, different ingredients

Generics of loratadine 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

BJWC worth a call to confirm

US label (DailyMed) · BERKLEY AND JENSEN CHILDRENS ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET, CHEWABLE [BJWC] · label dated May 25, 2026

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

Inactive ingredients ASPARTAME · D&C RED NO. 27 ALUMINUM LAKE · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 ALUMINUM LAKE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MANNITOL · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A · STEARIC ACID
View source label →
02

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 Jun 22, 2026

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

P & L Development, LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALL DAY ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET [P & L DEVELOPMENT, LLC] · label dated Jun 09, 2026

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

Ohm Laboratories Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · LORATADINE AND PSEUDOEPHEDRINE TABLET, EXTENDED RELEASE [OHM LABORATORIES INC.] · label dated Jun 03, 2026

Inactive ingredients CALCIUM CARBONATE · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM ALGINATE · SODIUM CITRATE, UNSPECIFIED FORM · STARCH, CORN · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
05

L. Perrigo Company nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · GOOD SENSE ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET [L. PERRIGO COMPANY] · label dated May 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED
View source label →
06

Rite Aid Corporation nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET [RITE AID CORPORATION] · label dated May 28, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED
View source label →
07

Grocery Outlet, Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · ALLERGY RELIEF (LORATADINE) TABLET [GROCERY OUTLET, INC] · label dated May 25, 2026

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

Intent Brands LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · SURVIVEX TRAVEL MED MOD (CONVENIENCE KIT) KIT [INTENT BRANDS LLC] · label dated May 25, 2026

Inactive ingredients ASPARTAME · CITRIC ACID MONOHYDRATE · LACTOSE · MALTODEXTRIN · SODIUM BICARBONATE · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
09

Cabinet Health P.B.C. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · VALUMEDS ALLERGY RELIEF LORATADINE (LORATADINE) TABLET [CABINET HEALTH P.B.C.] · label dated May 21, 2026

Inactive ingredients LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · STARCH, CORN
View source label →
10

Ohm Laboratories Inc. nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · DYE-FREE LORATADINE (LORATADINE) TABLET, CHEWABLE [OHM LABORATORIES INC.] · label dated May 21, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · ASPARTAME · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MANNITOL · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · 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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