Is hydroxyzine 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, 8 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 2 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.
Drug context
About hydroxyzine
Hydroxyzine is a first-generation antihistamine used for anxiety, itching, and as a sedative, sold under brand names including Atarax, Vistaril.
Why this matters
Different manufacturers, different ingredients
Generics of hydroxyzine 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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01Coupler LLC worth a call to confirm
Worth a call to the maker: SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CROSPOVIDONE · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (3 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (50 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYDEXTROSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIACETIN · WATER
View source label → -
02Redpharm Drug worth a call to confirm
Worth a call to the maker: SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CROSPOVIDONE · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
03Coupler LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CROSPOVIDONE · HYPROMELLOSES · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
04Coupler LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · FD&C GREEN NO. 3 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN, UNSPECIFIED · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1600000 WAMW) · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
05Coupler LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients AMMONIA · BUTYL ALCOHOL · D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN · ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
06Aurobindo Pharma Limited nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients D&C RED NO. 30 · D&C RED NO. 7 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2--ALUMINUM LAKE · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (3 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE 101 · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · STARCH, CORN · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
07Kesin Pharma nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · SODIUM BENZOATE · SUCROSE · WATER
View source label → -
08Direct_Rx nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients D&C YELLOW NO. 10 · FD&C BLUE NO. 1 · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 · FD&C GREEN NO. 3 · FD&C RED NO. 40 · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GELATIN · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE (1200000 WAMW) · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · PROPYLENE GLYCOL · SHELLAC · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label → -
09Northwind Health Company, LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CARNAUBA WAX · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CROSPOVIDONE (15 MPA.S AT 5%) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (3 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (50 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYDEXTROSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 8000 · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIACETIN
View source label → -
10Northwind Health Company, LLC nothing flagged on the label
Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CARNAUBA WAX · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CROSPOVIDONE (15 MPA.S AT 5%) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (3 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (50 MPA.S) · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · POLYDEXTROSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 8000 · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · TITANIUM DIOXIDE · TRIACETIN
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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