Is Tylenol Gluten-Free?

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By Scott Adams

June 8, 2021
By Scott Adams • June 8, 2021

Is Tylenol Gluten-Free?

Followers 2
Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

Wondering if Tylenol is gluten-free? Look no further. Here's the lowdown.
Caption: Image: CC BY 2.0--JeepersMedia

Celiac.com 06/08/2021 - We get a lot of questions from people wondering which brands of over the counter drugs are gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease. We recently answered questions about whether Advil PM is gluten-free--it is.

We also get a lot of questions about Tylenol. Specifically, is Tylenol gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance?

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Tylenol is Gluten-Free
Tylenol is a brand of acetaminophen made by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. Tylenol, and many Tylenol products are gluten-free. However, a number of Tylenol products are made with gluten ingredients, and so are not gluten-free. As always, check labels and ingredients, and choose carefully.

Gluten-Free Tylenol Products
Now, after you know that this medicine doesn’t have gluten content in it, here we have a list of Tylenol products that you can safely consume.

The following Tylenol brand and other McNeil products have been tested and do not contain detectable levels of gluten:

Children’s Tylenol Meltaways Grape Punch

Children’s Tylenol Meltaways Bubblegum Burst

Children’s Tylenol Meltaways Wacky Watermelon

Children’s Tylenol Suspension Grape

Children’s Tylenol Suspension Bubblegum

Children’s Tylenol Suspension Cherry Blast

Children’s Tylenol Suspension Strawberry

Children’s Tylenol Flavor Packets Bubblegum

Children’s Tylenol Flavor Packets Chocolate

Children’s Tylenol Flavor Packets Apple

Children’s Tylenol Flavor Packets Strawberry

Extra Strength Tylenol Geltabs

Extra Strength Tylenol Gelcaps

Extra Strength Tylenol Tablets

Extra Strength Tylenol Caplets

Infant's Tylenol Drops Plus Cold

Infant's Tylenol Drops Cherry

Infant's Tylenol Drops Grape

Jr. Tylenol Meltaways Grape Punch

Jr. Tylenol Meltaways Bubblegum Burst

Regular Strength Tylenol Tablets

Tylenol Arthritis Pain Relief Caplets

Tylenol 8 Hour Caplets

Tylenol 8 Hour Geltabs

Tylenol Allergy Sinus Caplets

Tylenol Sinus Day Caplets

Tylenol Sinus Severe Congestion

Tylenol Cold Severe Congestion Caplets

Tylenol Severe Cold & Flu Liquid

Tylenol Cold Day Non Drowsy Caplet

Tylenol PM Caplets

Other Gluten-Free McNeil Products include:

Children's Motrin Suspension Grape

Children's Motrin Suspension Berry

Children's Motrin Suspension BubbleGum

Children's Motrin Suspension Dye-Free

Children's Motrin Chewables Grape

Children's Motrin Chewables Orange

Children's Motrin Cold Suspension Berry

Children's Motrin Cold Suspension Grape

Children's Motrin Cold Suspension Dye-Free

Infant's Motrin Drops

Infant's Motrin Drops Dye-Free Children's Motrin Suspension Grape

Imodium Advanced Chewable Tablets

Imodium AD Caplets

Motrin IB Caplets

Motrinv IB Gelcaps

Motrin IB Tablets

Motrin Cold & Sinus Caplets

Simply Stuffy™ Liquid

Simply Cough™ Liquid

Simply Sleep™ Caplets

St. Joseph Enteric Coated Tablets

St. Joseph Adult Chewable Tablets

Children's Tylenol Suspension (Grape Splash, Bubblegum Yum and Very Berry Strawberry), Extra Strength Tylenol Rapid Release Gels (replaces Extra Strength Tylenol Gelcaps), and Tylenol Allergy Complete Caplets (replaces Tylenol Allergy Sinus Caplets) have not yet been tested. These products have been reformulated to improve the flavor or release of medication. We would not expect to find gluten in the new ingredient components necessary to reformulate these products.

Generic Gluten-Free Acetaminophen
A number of brands sell generic or store-branded acetaminophen that is labeled gluten-free, and is safe for people with celiac disease. As always, check labels and ingredients carefully.
acetaminophen

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trents 1,873

Posted August 2, 2021

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Scott,

I think this article needs some formatting attention in the picture area and there appears to be a typo in the last sentence.

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Guest Guest

Posted June 9, 2022

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You write “However, a number of Tylenol products are made with gluten ingredients, and so are not gluten-free.” Why is there no list of which these are? Surely there are fewer than the lengthy list of ones tested and gluten free…

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trents 1,873

Posted June 9, 2022 (edited)

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8 hours ago, Guest Guest said:

You write “However, a number of Tylenol products are made with gluten ingredients, and so are not gluten-free.” Why is there no list of which these are? Surely there are fewer than the lengthy list of ones tested and gluten free…

The number of acetaminophen containing products containing gluten may be much longer list than you realize. It could be a daunting or impossible task to accomplish, especially since new products come out all the time. This is exacerbated by the fact, as the article indicates, companies can and do change their formulations over time. So, it's still on the shoulders of the consumer needing to avoid gluten to check labels. Also, the discontinuation of the Nima gluten sensor has made it much less likely that products can actually be tested by gluten watchdog groups.
Edited June 9, 2022 by trents

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Scott Adams 1,857

Posted June 9, 2022

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Nima is now being sold again, including the test cartridges, by the company that purchased Nima:
Open Original Shared Link

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About Me

Scott Adams was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1994, and, due to the nearly total lack of information available at that time, was forced to become an expert on the disease in order to recover. In 1995 he launched the site that later became Celiac.com to help as many people as possible with celiac disease get diagnosed so they can begin to live happy, healthy gluten-free lives. He is co-author of the book Cereal Killers, and founder and publisher of the (formerly paper) newsletter Journal of Gluten Sensitivity. In 1998 he founded The Gluten-Free Mall which he sold in 2014. Celiac.com does not sell any products, and is 100% advertiser supported.
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