Prescription medication · Androgen Receptor Inhibitor

enzalutamide

Also sold as Xtandi. Xtandi is used to treat prostate cancer in men.

Data updated 2026-05-15

57,614
FDA reportsOften reported
4
InteractionsFew interactions
Rx
Availability

What the data shows

enzalutamide (Xtandi) is a prescription Androgen Receptor Inhibitor, more reported than most tracked drugs (57,614 FDA reports), with 4 documented drug interactions.

Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.

enzalutamide (Xtandi) is a prescription Androgen Receptor Inhibitor. Xtandi is used to treat prostate cancer in men.

Xtandi contains enzalutamide. It is used to treat prostate cancer that is resistant to certain treatments.

Compare with Another Drug → Full Side Effects Report →

What it does

Xtandi is used to treat prostate cancer in men.

Common side effects

Muscle or joint pain, Feeling tired, Hot flashes

Key warnings

Xtandi can cause seizures.

The sections below are summarized in plain English from enzalutamide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.

How It Works

Xtandi blocks the effect of hormones called androgens, like testosterone. Androgens can help prostate cancer cells grow. By blocking androgens, Xtandi can slow or stop the growth of prostate cancer.

Side Effects (from patient reports)

Based on 57,614 FDA adverse event reports.

Most-reported reactions

Adverse reactions in FAERS for enzalutamide, by number of reports

reports

What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.

Source FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) As of 2025

Reports over time

Adverse-event reports filed for enzalutamide each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

05,00010,00015,000 20122014201620182020202220242025 2,608

Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.

Where enzalutamide sits

enzalutamide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 76% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.

fewest reports most reports

Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is enzalutamide; the line is the median (50th percentile).

FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis

Detailed analysis of 57,614 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2012–2025.

Total Reports

57,614

Reports Mentioning Death

11,299

19.6% of reports — not proof of cause

Hospitalization Reports

10,853

Top Indication

Prostate Cancer

Gender Distribution

Female 361 (1%)
Male 54,925 (99%)

Age Distribution

0–17 685
18–44 69
45–64 4,462
65–74 10,156
75+ 18,413

Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)

# Reaction Reports
1 FATIGUE 10,159
2 DEATH 7,667
3 MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION 5,409
4 PROSTATIC SPECIFIC ANTIGEN INCREASED 4,295
5 ASTHENIA 4,120
7 HOT FLUSH 3,819
8 DECREASED APPETITE 3,379
9 NAUSEA 3,240
10 DIZZINESS 3,107
11 DIARRHOEA 2,783
12 BACK PAIN 2,282
13 ARTHRALGIA 2,124
14 UNDERDOSE 2,067
15 CONSTIPATION 1,807
16 FALL 1,790

Reactions in Death Reports

DEATH 7,664
MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION 1,807
FATIGUE 675
DECREASED APPETITE 460
ASTHENIA 449
UNDERDOSE 398
PROSTATIC SPECIFIC ANTIGEN INCREASED 364
PROSTATE CANCER 315
NAUSEA 304
FALL 266

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

FATIGUE 1,274
ASTHENIA 914
DECREASED APPETITE 875
FALL 837
MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION 816
DEATH 807
NAUSEA 629
DIZZINESS 553
MALAISE 536
DIARRHOEA 535

Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation

Serious Warnings

Xtandi can cause seizures. If you have a seizure while taking Xtandi, stop taking it permanently. Xtandi can also cause a condition called posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). If you experience PRES, stop taking Xtandi. Xtandi can harm an unborn baby, so men with partners who can get pregnant should use effective birth control during treatment and for 3 months after the last dose.

Known Drug Interactions

Anticancer drugs apalutamide, enzalutamide ↓ nirmatrelvir/ritonavir Co-administration contraindicated due to potential loss of virologic response and possible resistance [see Contraindications (4) ].

Mechanism: Enzalutamide lowers the levels of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in your body by speeding up how it is processed. This can prevent the medicine from fighting the virus effectively.

Strong CYP3A4 Inducers The coadministration of XTANDI with rifampin (a strong CYP3A4 inducer and a moderate CYP2C8 inducer) decreases plasma concentrations of enzalutamide plus N-desmethyl enzalutamide, which may decrease the efficacy of XTANDI.

Mechanism: Rifampin makes your body clear out enzalutamide faster than normal. This can lower the amount of medicine in your system and make it less effective at treating your condition.

minor digoxin

7.3 Laboratory Test Interference XTANDI can interfere with certain digoxin immunoassays (e.g., Chemiluminescent Microparticle Immunoassays), resulting in falsely elevated digoxin plasma concentration results. Notify the laboratory conducting the digoxin plasma concentration assay to use an appropriate method in patients receiving XTANDI and digoxin [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 )] .

Mechanism: Enzalutamide interferes with the way labs measure digoxin in your blood, leading to test results that look higher than they really are. This is a problem with the test itself, not the actual amount of drug in your body.

( 7.2 ) 7.1 Effect of Other Drugs on XTANDI Strong CYP2C8 Inhibitors The coadministration of XTANDI with gemfibrozil (a strong CYP2C8 inhibitor) increases plasma concentrations of enzalutamide plus N-desmethyl enzalutamide, which may increase the incidence and severity of adverse reactions of XTANDI.

Mechanism: Gemfibrozil blocks the body from breaking down enzalutamide properly. This causes the drug to stay in your blood longer and can increase your risk of having bad side effects.

This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.

Common Questions

Can women take Xtandi?
No, Xtandi is only for men.
What should I do if I have trouble swallowing the capsules or tablets?
Tell your doctor if you have trouble swallowing. They may switch you to the smaller Xtandi tablets.
Can Xtandi affect my fertility?
Yes, Xtandi may affect fertility in men.
Will Xtandi interact with other medications I am taking?
Yes, Xtandi can interact with other medications. Tell your doctor about all the medications you take.
What if my PSA level becomes undetectable?
Your doctor may stop your treatment if your PSA level becomes undetectable after 36 weeks. Treatment may start again if your PSA level increases.
What should I do if I experience a seizure while taking Xtandi?
Stop taking Xtandi and contact your doctor immediately.
Can I drive or operate machinery while taking Xtandi?
Be careful when driving or operating machinery, as Xtandi can cause seizures or loss of consciousness.
How long will I need to take Xtandi?
You will take Xtandi until your disease gets worse or you have unacceptable side effects.
What should I do if I have a severe side effect?
Contact your doctor right away if you have any severe side effects.
Can I take Xtandi with food?
Yes, you can take Xtandi with or without food.
What are the common side effects of enzalutamide?
The registry lists Muscle or joint pain, Feeling tired, Hot flashes, Constipation, Less hungry among the most-reported FAERS reaction terms for enzalutamide. The compiled record contains 57,614 FDA adverse-event reports. These counts are not an individual symptom assessment.
Does enzalutamide interact with other medications?
The registry has 4 documented interaction rows for enzalutamide. Notable source-record pairings include nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, rifampin, digoxin. These rows are not a complete medication review.
What drug class is enzalutamide?
enzalutamide belongs to the Androgen Receptor Inhibitor drug class. It requires a prescription (Rx). Xtandi is used to treat prostate cancer in men.
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for enzalutamide?
The FDA label for enzalutamide contains product-specific pregnancy or breastfeeding language. PlainMeds does not apply that source text to an individual.

Other drugs grouped near enzalutamide - same-class peers and common alternatives.

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Compare beyond drug class

Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share

Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for enzalutamide: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.

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What the FDA Data Shows for enzalutamide

The FDA label for enzalutamide (sold under brand names such as Xtandi) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Androgen Receptor Inhibitor class. Xtandi is used to treat prostate cancer in men. Official labeling lists 11 commonly reported side effects, including Muscle or joint pain, Feeling tired, Hot flashes.

Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 57,614 voluntary reports. The database also lists 4 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated major severity. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.

Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.

Data Sources

Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.

Last updated: December 12, 2025

PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.

Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.

All federal data sources used on this page