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Empagliflozin

carina62

Well-Known Member
Messages
349
Location
Leicestershire
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
miserable weather, rude and bad mannered people
Hello All, I haven't posted for a long time as just been very busy with work & home. I recently had my HBA1c and unfortunately, my BS levels have increased so in addition to Metformin (twice daily), I have now been given the above drug. Is anyone else on this and how do they find it? the nurse said that the extra sugar is excreted via the urine with this drug and it also helps with weight loss as I am still battling to lose weight although I am slowly getting there as I have already changed my lifestyle ie I go to a Slimming Group and I do lots of dog walking so my intention of losing several stones is still on my agenda. Thanks.
 
Hi there. Did your nurse also warn you that keto/very low carb diet is contraindicated with this class of medications? This is because the flozins carry an increased risk of DKA.
And that there is a heightened risk of UTIs and Thrush?

I have no personal experience with this drug so cannot say what is is like to take but I thought to check that you have been made aware of the drawbacks. Best of luck.
 
bulkbiker said:
55 cases in the last 3 years whereas before 19 cases in 35 prior years.
Incredibly rare but .... something to be aware of.
Click to expand...
Indeed.
 

Yes, the nurse did point out that there would be an increased risk of UTI's unfortunately :-(
 
bulkbiker said:
55 cases in the last 3 years whereas before 19 cases in 35 prior years.
Incredibly rare but .... something to be aware of.
Click to expand...

I remember seeing something like this (could be this actual article) but obviously this has not been pointed out to me by the Nurse or Doctor. Am looking at taking this in the short term (at least for the next 3 months when I go for my HBA1c) and will ask to be taken off the drug as I intend to continue with my weight loss and walking. It's not a drug I want to stay on for a long time and thanks for pointing this out, I have printed out the article to show my Nurse next time.
 
bulkbiker said:
Unfortunately this popped up on my twitter feed today as well.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/endocrinology/diabetes/79651
Click to expand...

I have just emailed my diabetic nurse and attached the very worrying article with my email so will wait and see what her response will be and will also be making an appointment to speak with a GP too but my guess is they will say that it's very rare etc etc and the benefits outweigh the risks etc etc. Do you happen to know of any other medication which will be 'safer' to take apart from the SGLT2 Floxins ones?
 
Not really... I always found dietary changes to have the biggest impact so have never taken any medication.
 
bulkbiker said:
Not really... I always found dietary changes to have the biggest impact so have never taken any medication.
Click to expand...

I am trying to lose weight but 5 stone is not going to come off overnight. I tried to resist this medication last time but because my Hbaic is now at 8.5 she was very keen to put me on it. I have 3 months before I go back and need to work really hard to lower my numbers as I want to be taken off this drug, i'm happy to take metformin though as this one does have health benefits and haven't heard of any scaremongering stories.
 
Please remember that we are supposed to be in partnership with our health care professionals, it is not a matter of asking permission or of them dictating. Personally, I would say that I was concerned about this rare side effect but even more concerned about the heightened risk of DKA. I would mention a prescription for a free ketone monitor and a repeat prescription for antibiotics and antifungals! Once you voice your concerns the nurse or the GP cannot dismiss them and must therefore offer alternative treatments of which there are many.
Just to be clear, I am not saying you should stop taking your medication but if you are concerned and would like an alternative then do not be worried about stating your wishes, they are there to advise and treat not to dictate.
Good Luck.
 

I agree that they cannot force you to take anything and are just looking after your health but I am disappointed that she did not mention DKA or the other gangrene bit but then they won't will they? as otherwise you'd get a lot of patients who just wouldn't take their meds. My big problem is I need to lose a lot of weight (5 stone) and I just wish I could take a magic pill and the weight would disappear as I know that if I can achieve this then I won't need any medication but as you know it's not an easy task. I have 3 months to prove to myself and the nurse that I can reduce my numbers but then she'll say it was the drug that helped. There must be other medications that are safer to take? there are lots out there, how 'they' decide which one is best for you I don't know.
 
Have you thought about asking to come off the statins for a period? They have been known to cause elevated blood sugars in some. Might help a bit.. I'm not sure I can recall why you are taking them..
And of course cutting carbs a bit more may be very beneficial?
 

To be honest, sometimes they do not know beforehand which drug or combination of drugs will bring about the desired results. They never know how a particular patient will react to possible side effects and sometimes will even dismiss side effects or concerns instead of taking the time to listen or explain. I am loathe to say the names of other drugs as the only one I have taken is Metformin.
 
This is a general summary of what SGLT2 inhibitors can do... its main function is to pass out glucose by lowering the re-absorption threshold of glucose in the kidney. So instead of passing out glucose only when it is more than 10 mmols, it passes out when it is lower...eg 8 mmol...

As Dr Jason Fung suggested, the alternative would be to not to put in so much glucose daily... perhaps that would give the same benefits minus the risk of serious side effects? Unfortunately, there has been no such study to compare carbs restriction vs SGLT2 Inhibitors...

 
I did take a version of this (Forxiga). For a month or a little over it was great. Blood sugar numbers looked good... i lost weight

Then i had a flu and this Forxiga created so many complications. Extreme thirst... extrene hunger... extreme peeing.... weakness.... finally my doc pulled me off... i was on only Metfotmin for a whileree
 
I took these or same but different, also forxiga for a while, found them to be a massive help reducing bg, never had any signs of any infections, I was dissapointed to be taken off these by dsn because of high keytones. Im sure above is good advice but every or most medications out there would have very nasty side effects, its all about risk and reward I suppose, not everyone can be as successful as others with diet.

If you need help, better to take the meds than have high blood glucose I would suggest, I am not an expert on anything so feel free to ignore me, best of luck
 

totally right that each individual’s response would differ and hence it is best to hear all but follow ones conviction and monitor carefully... i was so happy with Forxiga initially... and when i had issues it took mea few weeks to realize it was Forxiga....
 
It gave me DKA within first week so had to stop it.
 
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