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Pepto-Bismol’s labels list no wheat, barley or rye ingredient, but Pepto-Bismol isn’t labeled gluten-free and Procter & Gamble makes no gluten statement for it.
It depends on the form. The original Pepto-Bismol liquid lists no starch, the caplets use a starch DailyMed codes as potato, and Pepto Bismol Chews list dextrin and maltodextrin with no source named. P&G’s only gluten statement covers a different product, Pepto Gas + Bloating, and some store-brand bismuth subsalicylate bottles print “gluten free” while others don’t.
We re-checked this page against the current Pepto-Bismol labels on DailyMed and Procter & Gamble’s own site. The earlier version quoted P&G as “certain” it doesn’t add gluten. That quote isn’t on any P&G page; it came from a question-and-answer section on a retailer’s website, so it’s gone. It also said Target’s store brand is labeled gluten-free across the board, which turned out to be true of only one Target label.
Check your medicine cabinet for gluten
Fifteen common over-the-counter medicines, what each label shows, what to check on the box, and one question to ask your pharmacist. Plus how to check any medicine yourself. You'll also be first to hear when the LGGF scanner app launches.
What P&G Says About Gluten in Pepto-Bismol
Procter & Gamble makes Pepto-Bismol, and it doesn’t make a gluten statement for its bismuth subsalicylate products. The Pepto-Bismol FAQ has one gluten answer, and it’s about Pepto Gas + Bloating, a different medicine: P&G says that product “has not been tested for the presence of gluten” and can’t be confirmed as gluten-free. None of the Pepto-Bismol product pages mentions gluten.
What’s in Pepto-Bismol, Form by Form
These lists come from the current P&G labels on DailyMed. None of them names wheat, barley, rye or malt.
- Pepto-Bismol Original liquid: no starch. Benzoic acid, two red dyes, flavor, gellan gum, magnesium aluminum silicate, methylcellulose, salicylic acid, sodium salicylate, sorbic acid, sucralose and water (DailyMed label).
- Pepto-Bismol Chewables: no starch. They list mannitol, a sugar alcohol whose source the label doesn’t name.
- Pepto-Bismol Caplets: sodium starch glycolate, which DailyMed codes as made from potato, plus mannitol.
- Pepto Bismol Chews: corn starch and corn syrup, plus dextrin and maltodextrin with no grain source named. They also contain soy lecithin.
Store-Brand Bismuth Subsalicylate
Some store brands print “gluten free” on the bottle. One Target Digestive Relief liquid label on DailyMed prints “GLUTEN FREE” on its package (DailyMed label). But another Target label with the same product name doesn’t, and neither do Target’s other bismuth subsalicylate labels. So don’t assume a store brand is gluten-free because a past bottle was. Look for the words on the bottle in your hand. Keep in mind that the FDA hasn’t set any standard for what “gluten free” means on a medicine.
What the FDA Says About Gluten in Medicines
The FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule only covers food. For medicines, its Medications and Gluten page and draft guidance on gluten in drugs say:
- No added wheat gluten: the FDA knows of no oral drug sold in the US with wheat gluten or wheat flour added as an inactive ingredient.
- Derived ingredients don’t name their plant: plain wheat starch must say “wheat starch,” but ingredients made from starch, like the maltodextrin and dextrin in the Chews or the mannitol in the chewables, never name their source. The FDA says the starch used is often corn or potato.
- A small worst case: in the very rare drug with a wheat-derived ingredient, the FDA’s high estimate is no more than 0.5 mg of gluten per dose.
- No “Contains: Wheat” rule for drugs: the food allergen law behind that line doesn’t apply to over-the-counter drugs, per the FDA’s allergen labeling guidance.
The FDA says that when a medicine’s ingredient list doesn’t mention wheat gluten or wheat flour, it shouldn’t contain gluten in an amount that would harm a typical (non-refractory) person with celiac disease. If you react to very small amounts, the original liquid, with no starch-derived ingredient on its label, leaves the fewest open questions.
Cross-Contamination Risk
- No current Pepto-Bismol label names wheat, barley, rye or malt.
- P&G makes no gluten statement for bismuth subsalicylate products.
- Store brands differ, even under one name. Check each bottle for its own wording and ingredients.
- Keep the box. Its NDC number finds the exact label on DailyMed.
How to Check the Pepto-Bismol You Bought
- Read the Drug Facts on your box: the “Inactive ingredients” line tells you which form you have and what’s in it.
- Look it up on DailyMed: search the NDC number from the box at dailymed.nlm.nih.gov to find the exact label.
- Ask your pharmacist: the NIH’s digestive diseases institute tells people with celiac disease to ask a pharmacist about ingredients in over-the-counter medicines.
- Call P&G: the number under “Questions?” on the Drug Facts label reaches the maker, if you want its gluten answer in writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Pepto-Bismol gluten-free?
Pepto-Bismol isn’t labeled gluten-free, and P&G makes no gluten statement for it. The current Pepto-Bismol labels on DailyMed list no wheat, barley or rye ingredient, and the original liquid lists no starch at all. The Chews list dextrin and maltodextrin with no source named, so ask a pharmacist if you need that form.
Why isn’t Pepto-Bismol labeled gluten-free?
No US law requires a medicine to say whether it contains gluten, and the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule only covers food. The FDA has suggested voluntary wording for drug labels, but that guidance is still a draft, and Pepto-Bismol’s labels don’t use it.
Did P&G say it’s certain Pepto-Bismol has no added gluten?
Not on any P&G page we could find. An earlier version of this page quoted P&G saying it doesn’t add gluten but its plant hasn’t had an allergy assessment. That wording traces to a question-and-answer section on a retailer’s website, not to P&G, so we removed it.
Is there a bismuth subsalicylate labeled gluten-free?
Some store-brand bottles print “gluten free.” One Target Digestive Relief liquid label on DailyMed does, but another Target label with the same product name doesn’t. Check the bottle you buy rather than the brand name, and keep in mind that the FDA has no standard for gluten-free claims on medicines.
Are Pepto Bismol Chews gluten-free?
Pepto Bismol Chews aren’t labeled gluten-free. They list corn starch and corn syrup, plus dextrin and maltodextrin whose source the label doesn’t name. The FDA lists ingredients like these as ones that could, rarely, come from wheat starch, so ask your pharmacist if you’re very sensitive.
Are Pepto-Bismol caplets gluten-free?
Pepto-Bismol Caplets list no gluten-containing grain. Their sodium starch glycolate is coded as potato on DailyMed; they also list mannitol, whose source the label doesn’t name. They aren’t labeled gluten-free.