Empagliflozin

[Emg23]

Hi I've had diabetes type two for approximately three years,currently I've been taking metformin 500mg two of those twice a day after breakfast and evening meal however at a diabetic review yesterday the nurse wasn't too happy that my glucose tolerance was 7 in my recent blood tests.She said either lose weight or take an extra tablet called empagliflozin,as I walk everywhere and eat a healthy diet anyway but my weight doesn't change much I opted for the tablet. I've never heard of it before what are your experiences of it? IMO my hb1ac is creeping up since the gp stopped prescribing my test sticks and lancets so I don't check on a daily basis. On expressing my opinion to the nurse she was very condescending telling me that I should know what foods and drinks etc cause high blood sugar. Well yes I do but when I was able to check every day it was easier for me to plan my diet accordingly, sorry for moaning I know most people on 'just metformin' are in the same situation! I'm interested to know how effective the empagliflozin is so any replies would be welcome, em x

 

[ickihun]

I was on canagliflozin. Are they the same lowering agent? Kidney glucose rejected in urine to lower bgs?
Canagliflozin gave me severe thrush. Canagliflozin use put me at risk of ketoacidosis without the high bgs on my meter. I stopped it's treatment after developing nerve damage signals and bad sciatica. The thrush was horrific.
Other's tolerated it better but they have gone quiet on here so I'm unsure of their long term results. @Liam1955 suffered too.

 

[Emg23]

Hi there it does sound like a similar medication the nurse said it helps flush the glucose out and stops the kidney reabsorbing it. Thankyou for your reply ickihun and I'll post again about the effects of the empagliflozin, em x

 

[Liam1955]

@Emg23 - Hello. I was on Dapagliflozin for 1year. The one you are taking and the one that @ickihun took all belong to the same group of drugs and all do the same thing: make the kidneys filter out more sugar and you pass the sugar out in the form of sweet urine.
As I have said I took it for 1 year, but after 6 months a nd it doing what it was meant to do, it stopped working. Whilst on it I lost almost 2 stone, my HBA1C was reduced from 82 to 56. But, when it stopped working - I suffered repeated bouts of Thrush in my groin and repeated bouts of burning urine.
Ok - so the surgery have stopped your test strips! You really need a Meter to keep on top of your blood sugars, it's an important and vital piece of equipment for a Diabetic = A meter. The SD Codefree Blood Glucose Meter is popular and used by a lot of forum members because the test strips are the cheapest to buy.. Here is the link:
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/codefree-blood-glucose-monitoring For the UK you need mmol/l and state you are Diabetic for VAT exemption. And if you buy in bulk you will save money.

 

[Emg23]

OK thankyou Liam I've been managing without a meter it's something I'm going to buy soon,thanks for the link and the information about the medication, em x

 

[DumfriesDik]

Hi. I take Jardiance and have been doing so for a couple of months. Sadly, I have just got my first bought of thrush. Nothing a tablet and cream can not take care of.

I have taken a lot of different medication and not much seemed to work for me, I include insulin in that list as well. My BG readings were generally around 16, that was my normal reading. However, now I would be surprised if they go above 10 and they are generally below 8 throughout the day. So for me, it is a great drug.

I have also been looking at the LCHF diet and I think that has also really helped. The other thing that helped was a burst of intense exercise once a day. But I got bored with that and could not maintain it.

So, I would say give Jardiance a go, drink plenty, pee plenty and hopefully your numbers will fall. You may loose weight as well, esp if you look at the LCHF diet.

Which ever path you choose to do down, best of luck.

 

[Emg23]

Thankyou Dumfries for your positive advice that's very helpful and I'll let you all know how I get on with the new tablet, emj x

 

[dhwilcox]

I have been on Jardiance and Metformin for a couple of months now and have lost a bit of weight, my meter readings have reduced and so has my blood pressure.

I would also recommend a Code Free meter, when you have differing advice from each dr, nurse you see about what you should and shouldnt eat its a minefield, and sometimes its Conflicting advice, As i have seen from posts here and other articles, like alot of things we are all different and some can tolerate certain foods better than others......Only way to tell is regular testing...then you can work out what is good and bad for your sugar levels and probably more importantly how the medication is or isnt working.

If testing was started at the pre-diabetes stage,,,when we are sent home to "control it by diet", with just a sheet of paper saying avoid spuds, rice and bread" the NHS might save the cost of Type 2 Drugs & treatment for some patients.

I also take a probiotic which helps my digestion, and it has been suggested could help prevent yeast infections, which can be a side effect of Jardiance.

 

[valceramic]

Hi I've had diabetes type two for approximately three years,currently I've been taking metformin 500mg two of those twice a day after breakfast and evening meal however at a diabetic review yesterday the nurse wasn't too happy that my glucose tolerance was 7 in my recent blood tests.She said either lose weight or take an extra tablet called empagliflozin,as I walk everywhere and eat a healthy diet anyway but my weight doesn't change much I opted for the tablet. I've never heard of it before what are your experiences of it? IMO my hb1ac is creeping up since the gp stopped prescribing my test sticks and lancets so I don't check on a daily basis. On expressing my opinion to the nurse she was very condescending telling me that I should know what foods and drinks etc cause high blood sugar. Well yes I do but when I was able to check every day it was easier for me to plan my diet accordingly, sorry for moaning I know most people on 'just metformin' are in the same situation! I'm interested to know how effective the empagliflozin is so any replies would be welcome, em x

Hi, re meters and testing strips. see the nice guidance about test strips. you are entitled within these guidelines to ask for testing strips and meter. You may not want to test 8 times a day like a type one patient, but you could certainly gain the benefit of knowing what your blood glucose is doing once or twice a day. cheaper in the long run than treating long term conditions caused by poor control. See:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-testing-faqs.html

 

[chalup]

I am on forxiga which is the same type of drug and have been for 6 months. No thrush and no problems BUT, I eat a very low carb diet. Less sugar in the diet means less sugar in the urine means less sugar to feed yeast and less chance of getting thrush.

 

[Oldvatr]

There is an important FDA warning put on this family of medicines that is to be found in the Other Medicines section of this forum in a thread entitled:
SGLT2 inhibitors: updated advice on the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis
You should have been advised on this when it was prescribed for you.

 

[MsMollie]

Hi I've had diabetes type two for approximately three years,currently I've been taking metformin 500mg two of those twice a day after breakfast and evening meal however at a diabetic review yesterday the nurse wasn't too happy that my glucose tolerance was 7 in my recent blood tests.She said either lose weight or take an extra tablet called empagliflozin,as I walk everywhere and eat a healthy diet anyway but my weight doesn't change much I opted for the tablet. I've never heard of it before what are your experiences of it? IMO my hb1ac is creeping up since the gp stopped prescribing my test sticks and lancets so I don't check on a daily basis. On expressing my opinion to the nurse she was very condescending telling me that I should know what foods and drinks etc cause high blood sugar. Well yes I do but when I was able to check every day it was easier for me to plan my diet accordingly, sorry for moaning I know most people on 'just metformin' are in the same situation! I'm interested to know how effective the empagliflozin is so any replies would be welcome, em x

 

[MsMollie]

Hey Emg - Thanks for that, I have just been put on it and am very scared. So that is a positive note, thankyou for posting!

 

[Goonergal]

Hey Emg - Thanks for that, I have just been put on it and am very scared. So that is a positive note, thankyou for posting!

Hi @MsMollie

Sorry to hear your new prescription is causing you concern. You’ve responded to a thread that is over 3 years old and Emg23 hasn’t posted here for some time.

You’d likely get more help and support if you started your own thread with any particular concerns you have about the drug.