Information about the drug Jardiance®

Article written by Pharmacist Bui Thi Thanh Ha - Faculty of Pharmacy - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital.

Jardiance is a medicine used to control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. This is achieved by helping the kidneys remove glucose from the blood through urine. Jardiance is not for weight loss or blood pressure management, but it can help with both of these goals.

Jardiance® contains empagliflozin, an antidiabetic drug that belongs to the group of inhibitors of glucose and sodium co-transporters. The drug has an effect on the kidneys, increasing the amount of sugar and salt removed from the body.
Besides diabetes, using Jardiance for cardiovascular patients such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, hospitalization of patients. Therefore, the drug is also widely used for cardiovascular patients, even if the patient does not have diabetes.

Patients should not use Jardiance if there is a history of allergic reactions to Forxiga, severe liver failure, type 1 diabetes.
The doctor may ask the patient to temporarily stop taking the drug for a few days when there are acute medical conditions, especially if the patient requires surgery.

The drug has a strength of 10mg or 25mg, used once a day at a fixed time of the day. The drug can be taken regardless of the meal. Patients should choose the time to take the medicine in accordance with their schedule to avoid forgetting the medicine.
In case you forget to take Jardiance and remember during the day, you should take the medicine as soon as you remember. If you forget to take your medicine and you don't remember it until the next day, you can skip the missed dose and take it as usual. Do not take a double dose to make up for the missed dose. If you forget to take your medicine too often, you can set a timer to remind you to take your medicine and/or change the time to take it to a more convenient time slot.

The drug can make the patient lose 1 - 3 kg. This is completely normal, you do not need to worry if you lose weight in the first few months of using the drug.
The drug does not cause hypoglycemia when used alone. However, if you are taking other diabetes medications, you may be at risk for hypoglycemia. Watch for symptoms of hypoglycemia such as shaking hands, sweating, confusion, hunger and fatigue, etc. At these times, you can immediately eat sweets or cakes. When you visit your doctor, you should discuss this with your doctor.
Because the drug increases the urinary excretion of sugar, some patients may develop urinary or genital infections. If you have recurrent infections, talk to your doctor.
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