Endari

Endari is a prescription medication approved for patients age five years and older with sickle cell disease to reduce severe complications associated with the blood disorder. Endari is an amino acid called L-glutamine and works to prevent the damage to red blood cells that causes the pain. 

Endari comes as a powder to be mixed in a liquid like water, milk, or juice and given twice daily, with or without food. 

Common side effects of Endari include constipation, nausea, and headache. 

Endari is a prescription medication used to prevent pain crises, a complication of sickle cell anemia, in patients 5 years and older. Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that changes the shape of red blood cells and makes it harder for them to get oxygen to the rest of the body.

Endari may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. 

Common side effects of Endari include the following:

• constipation
• nausea
• headache
• stomach pain
• cough
• pain in arms or legs
• back pain
• chest pain

This is not a complete list of Endari side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Tell your doctor if you have any side effects that bother you or that do not go away. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You mat report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

No drug interactions have been reported. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

No drug precautions have been reported.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Endari, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before taking Endari, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:

• are allergic to Endari or to any of its ingredients
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

No studies have been done in animals, and no well-controlled studies have been done in pregnant women. Endari should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. 

It is not known if Endari crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using Endari.

Take Endari exactly as prescribed.

Endari comes as a powder to be mixed in a liquid or soft food like water, milk, juice, or yogurt and given 2 times a day with or without food. Complete dissolution is not required before drinking/eating the mixture. 

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of Endari at the same time.

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The recommended dose range of Endari for the prevention of sickle cell related pain crisis is 5-15 grams or 1-3 packets per dose. 

If you take too much Endari, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

Store Endari packets at room temperature. Keep Endari and all medications away from children.