I recently got an oral thrush infection leading to me trying a new medicine. For the life of me, I could not find out if it was gluten free! Having a gluten allergy, you know how frustrating and scary that can be. So I decided to write this article based on my experiences taking Nystatin for an oral thrush infection and my research on the medicine/ingredients.
What is Nystatin?
Nystatin is an antifungal medication used to treat infections inside the mouth, stomach, and intestines. It’s something I never thought I’d have to search for, but unfortunately I got a case of oral thrush a few weeks ago that led to being prescribed liquid nystatin, brand name: Mycostatin.
Because you searched for this, you’re probably wondering if Nystatin has any gluten or wheat ingredients . . .
Is Nystatin Gluten Free?
Yes, I can confirm the type of Nystatin medication I took was gluten free. Most versions I found online did not list wheat/gluten ingredients. However; it still did cause some minor stomach irritations for me.
I was prescribed a liquid suspension called Nystatin Suspension. Basically the generic, liquid version of the medication. I had to swish it around my mouth, gargle, and then swallow the medicine to help get rid of my oral thrush infection.
The medication itself did not cause any ‘glutening’ symptoms, but the minor irritations I noticed were slight bloating and a little heart burn. It could have also been caused by other things, but I do know the Nystatin took me a little time to get used to because it has a lot of sucrose which can cause digestive issues. It’s common to notice diarrhea and nausea from Nystatin.
Nystatin Ingredients
Nystatin is an antimycotic polyene antibiotic obtained from Streptomyces noursei. This medication is used to treat Candidiasis in the mouth and throat. Also called thrush or oropharyngeal candidiasis.
Nystatin Oral Suspension is a cherry-mint flavored suspension. It contains 100,000 USP Nystatin Units per mL. Inactive ingredients: alcohol ( ≤ 1% v/v), carboxymethylcellulose sodium, flavor, glycerin, methylparaben, propylparaben, purified water, saccharin sodium, sodium citrate, and sucrose (50% w/v). May also contain citric acid for pH adjustment. (Source: RxList)
Nystatin Description and Brand Names
This resource from the Mayo Clinic contains more information about Nystatin (Oral) and the various brands on the market.
Nystatin typically comes in the form of powder (as pills/capsules) or as a liquid suspension. The type of Nystatin I got was called Mycostatin. The suspension looked like this:
