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L-Glutamine

Generic: L-glutamine

Verified·Apr 23, 2026
Manufacturer
Emmaus
NDC
70954-417
ICD-10 indication
D57.00

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About L-Glutamine

What is this medication? L-glutamine is a prescription medication that consists of a pharmaceutical-grade version of a naturally occurring amino acid. Its most common use as an FDA-approved treatment is to reduce the frequent and severe complications associated with sickle cell disease in both adults and pediatric patients. By increasing the availability of glutamine in the blood, the medication helps red blood cells produce antioxidants that prevent oxidative stress and damage. This process helps the red blood cells remain more flexible and less likely to cause the blockages in blood vessels that lead to painful crises and organ damage.

In another prescription form, L-glutamine is utilized to treat short bowel syndrome in patients who are receiving a specialized diet or nutritional support. When used for this condition, the medication is often part of a combined regimen with growth hormones to enhance the absorption of fluids and nutrients within the intestinal tract. This helps the body better utilize the food it receives and can potentially decrease the need for parenteral nutrition. While it exists as a common dietary supplement, the prescription-strength versions are specifically indicated for these serious medical conditions and are administered under the guidance of a healthcare professional.

Copay & patient assistance

Detailed copay and financial assistance information is not publicly available for this medication at this time. Please consult your pharmacist or the manufacturer's official patient support program for more details.

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Prescribing information

From the FDA-approved label for L-Glutamine. Official source: DailyMed (NLM) · Label effective Aug 7, 2025

Indications and usage
1 INDICATIONS & USAGE L-glutamine is indicated to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease in adult and pediatric patients 5 years of age and older. L-glutamine is an amino acid indicated to reduce the acute complications of sickle cell disease in adult and pediatric patients 5 years of age and older. (1)
Dosage and administration
2 DOSAGE & ADMINISTRATION 5 grams to 15 grams orally, twice daily based on body weight. (2) Each dose of L-glutamine should be mixed in 8 oz. (240 mL) of cold or room temperature beverage or 4 oz. to 6 oz. of food before ingestion. (2) 2.1 Dosage Administer L-glutamine orally, twice per day at the dose based on body weight according to Table 1. Table 1. Recommended Dosing Weight in kilograms Weight in pounds Per dose in grams Per day in grams Packets per dose Packets per day less than 30 less than 66 5 10 1 2 30 to 65 66 to 143 10 20 2 4 greater than 65 greater than 143 15 30 3 6 2.2 Preparation of Product Mix L-glutamine immediately before ingestion with 8 oz. (240 mL) of cold or room temperature beverage, such as water, milk or apple juice, or 4 oz. to 6 oz. of food such as applesauce or yogurt. Complete dissolution is not required prior to administration.
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS None None (4)
Adverse reactions
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS Most common adverse reactions (incidence > 10%) are constipation, nausea, headache, abdominal pain, cough, pain in extremity, back pain, and chest pain. (6) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novitium Pharma LLC at 1-855-204-1431 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The data described below reflect exposure to L-glutamine in 187 patients, including 136 exposed for 6 months and 109 exposed for ≥1 year. L-glutamine was studied in 2 placebo-controlled clinical trials (a phase 3 study, n=230 and a phase 2 study, n=70). In these trials, patients with sickle cell anemia or sickle β 0 -thalassemia were randomized to receive L-glutamine (n=187) or placebo (n=111) orally twice daily for 48 weeks followed by 3 weeks of tapering. Both studies included pediatric and adult patients (5-58 years of age) and 54% were female. The majority of patients were black (97.3%), had a diagnosis of sickle cell anemia (89.9%) and were receiving hydroxyurea at baseline (63.4%). Treatment discontinuation due to adverse reactions was reported in 2.7% (n=5) of patients receiving L-glutamine. These adverse reactions included one case each of hypersplenism, abdominal pain, dyspepsia, burning sensation, and hot flash. Serious adverse reactions were reported in both treatment groups, more frequently in the placebo group, and were consistent with the underlying disease. Three deaths (3/187=1.6%) occurred during the study in the L-glutamine treatment group as compared to none in the placebo treatment group. None of the deaths were considered to be related to L-glutamine treatment. Adverse reactions occurring in greater than 10% of patients treated with L-glutamine are shown in Table 2 below. Table 2. Adverse Reactions Occurring at an Incidence > 10% in Clinical Studies of L-glutamine Adverse reaction L-glutamine N = 187 (%) Placebo N = 111 (%) Constipation 21 18 Nausea 19 14 Headache 18 15 Abdominal Pain* 17 16 Cough 16 14 Pain in extremity 13 7 Back pain 12 5 Chest pain 12 8 *Abdominal pain = abdominal pain and abdominal pain, upper
Use in pregnancy
8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary There are no available data on L-glutamine use in pregnant women to inform a drug-associated risk of major birth defects and miscarriage. Animal reproduction studies were not conducted with L-glutamine. Adverse outcomes in pregnancy occur regardless of the health of the mother or the use of medications. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population are unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively.

Label text is reproduced as-is from the FDA-approved label. We do not paraphrase, summarize, or omit. Content above is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your prescribing clinician or pharmacist before making decisions about your medication.

Conditions we've indexed resources for

Click a condition to see copay cards, grants, and PA rules specific to it. For the full list of FDA-approved indications, see Prescribing information above.

Medicare Part D coverage

How L-Glutamine appears across Medicare Part D plan formularies nationally. Source: CMS monthly Prescription Drug Plan file (2026-04-30).

Covered by plans

66%

3,631 of 5,509 plans

Most common tier

Tier 5

On 78% of covering formularies

Prior authorization required

97%

of covering formularies

TierFormularies on this tierShare
Tier 1 (preferred generic)61
19%
Tier 2 (generic)3
1%
Tier 4 (non-preferred brand)8
2%
Tier 5 (specialty)251
78%

Step therapy: 1% of formularies

Quantity limits: 52% of formularies

Coverage breadth: 323 of 65 formularies

How to read this:plans on the same formulary share tier + PA rules. Your specific plan's copay depends on (a) the tier above, (b) your plan's cost-share for that tier, (c) whether you're in the initial coverage phase or past the 2026 $2,000 out-of-pocket cap. For your exact plan, check its Summary of Benefits or log in to your Medicare.gov account. Copay cards don't apply to Medicare (federal law).

Prior authorization & coverage

PayerPAStep therapyCopay tier

Medicare Part D

Related drugs

How this page is sourced

  • Drug identity verified against openFDA NDC Directory.
  • Label text (when shown) originates from NLM DailyMed.
  • Copay and assistance URLs verified periodically; if you hit a broken link, tell us.

Rare-disease navigation (specialists, trials, patient communities)

L-Glutamine treats a rare condition. For in-depth disease pages on our sister site:

UniteRare.org is our sister site for rare-disease navigation — same editorial team, same accuracy standards.