Canagliflozin
About Canagliflozin
Canagliflozin is used to treat Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to become too high. It's a lifelong condition that can affect your everyday life. You may need to change your diet, take medicines and have regular check-ups to lead a normal life.
Canagliflozin contains empagliflozin, which works by blocking the sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT-2) enzyme. This lowers renal reabsorption of glucose and increases urine excretion of glucose via inhibiting SGLT2. As a result, it lowers blood sugar levels in diabetics.
Not everyone who is taking Canagliflozin will get these side effects. In some cases, you may experience certain common side effects such as thrush, pain or a burning feeling when you pee, peeing more than normal, and mild skin rash or itchy skin. Most of these side effects do not require medical attention and will resolve gradually over time. However, you are advised to consult your doctor if you experience these side effects persistently.
Take this medication by mouth with or without food as directed by your doctor, usually once daily in the morning. The dosage is based on your medical condition and response to treatment. To help you remember, take it at the same time each day. Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or worsens (if your blood sugar is too high or too low).
Do not consume Canagliflozin if you are allergic to any component present in Canagliflozin. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, consult your doctor before taking Canagliflozin. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking Canagliflozin since it may produce unpleasant side effects. Inform your doctor about all of the medications you are taking, as well as your medical history, to rule out any undesirable side effects or interactions.
Uses of Canagliflozin
• Blood Sugar Control: Canagliflozin is primarily used to manage type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels when combined with a suitable diet and exercise regimen.
• Weight Loss Aid: Canagliflozin medication may support weight loss in individuals with type 2 diabetes by reducing calorie absorption and food intake.
• Cardiovascular Benefits: Canagliflozin has shown potential in lowering the risk of cardiovascular events in diabetic patients, making it particularly beneficial for those prone to heart-related conditions.
• Kidney Health: Canagliflozin helps protect kidney function in individuals with type 2 diabetes, reducing the likelihood of developing diabetic nephropathy.
• Improvement in Glycemic Control: Canagliflozin enhances glycemic control by enabling the body to excrete excess glucose through urine, effectively lowering overall blood sugar levels.
Medicinal Benefits
- Canagliflozin plays a vital role in managing diabetes and achieving good control of blood sugar levels by delaying the absorption of sugar and increasing insulin sensitivity in the body.
- Canagliflozin does not cause a sudden lowering of the blood glucose level or cause significant hypoglycaemia.
- In the prediabetic condition, Canagliflozin is the only recommended treatment available.
- Canagliflozin also helps to prevent serious complications of diabetes such as kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy), blindness (diabetic retinopathy), loss of sensation in your hands and feet (diabetic neuropathy) or even loss of a foot.
Directions for Use
• Canagliflozin can be taken with or without food, but it is best to take it before the first meal of the day. • It is usually taken once daily or as prescribed by your doctor. • Swallow Canagliflozin as a whole with a glass of water. • Do not crush, chew, or break it.
Storage
Side Effects of Canagliflozin
- Changes in urination
- Feeling thirsty
- Nausea
- Frequent urination
- Need to urinate at night.
- Pain or a burning feeling when you pee
Drug Warnings
- Before taking this medication, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to any of its contents.
- Canagliflozin should not be stopped even if you feel better, without consulting your doctor, as your sugar level keeps changing. If you stop taking Canagliflozin abruptly, it may increase your sugar levels, which could further increase the risk of eyesight loss (retinopathy), kidney (nephropathy), and nerve damage (neuropathy).
- Please inform your doctor if you have heart disease.
- It may be harder to control your blood sugar when your body is stressed (such as when you have a fever, infection, injury, or surgery).
- Also, if you eat less or cannot eat due to these conditions or any illness, this can lead to other side effects while taking this medication.
- Before surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about all the products you use (including prescription, nonprescription, and herbal products).
- Be alert for signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), such as sweating, dizziness, dry mouth, dry skin, fast heartbeat, shivering, intense thirst, or frequent urination. If you experience any of these symptoms, take honey or sugar candies right away.
- Canagliflozin works best when coupled with a healthy lifestyle like losing weight if you are overweight (BMI>25), eating fewer calories (low fat and sugary food), and being more physically active (at least 150min of activity every week).
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Canagliflozin interacts with other antidiabetic drugs (glimepiride, glipizide), diuretics (furosemide), medicines used to control seizures (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital ), a medicine used to treat HIV infection (efavirenz, ritonavir), antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis (rifampicin), a medicine used to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood (cholestyramine), blood thinner (dabigatran) medicines used for certain heart problems (digoxin).
Drug-Food Interactions: Canagliflozin may interact with household sugar and cause abdominal discomfort and stomach upset. Therefore one should avoid consuming foods rich in sugar. Additionally, Canagliflozin interacts with St. John’s wort (a herbal medicine to treat depression).
Drug-Disease Interactions: People affected with heart diseases (like congestive heart failure and myocardial infarction), have sugar (glucose) and ketones (a type of chemical) in pee, severe kidney or liver disease, often get urinary tract infections, and alcoholism should avoid intake of Canagliflozin.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeYou should avoid consuming alcohol with Canagliflozin as it may alter your blood sugar levels or lead to serious side effects.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorCanagliflozin is not recommended during pregnancy. However, your doctor may prescribe it for you during pregnancy if he/she feels the benefit outweighs the risk. You should not take Canagliflozin without a doctor's advice.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorThere is no sufficient data on how Canagliflozin affects breastfeeding. It is safe to seek medical advice before you start Canagliflozin if you are breastfeeding.
Driving
cautionCanagliflozin should not affect your ability to drive or operate machinery/tools.
Liver
cautionCanagliflozin to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of liver diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Kidney
cautionCanagliflozin to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor depending on your renal functions. Canagliflozin is not recommended in severe kidney disease. Regular monitoring of kidney function tests is therefore important if you're taking Canagliflozin.
Children
cautionCanagliflozin is not recommended for children below 18 years of age, as the safety and effectiveness were not established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- A person should engage themself in regular exercise like cycling, running, walking, jogging, dancing, or swimming for at least 30 minutes. Try to invest at least 150 minutes weekly in exercise.
- A person should also maintain a healthy body weight to avoid obesity or high blood sugar; it can increase the risk of the onset of diabetes.
- A person should take low fat and a low sugar diet. For that, replace carbohydrates with whole grains, fruits, and vegetables as carbohydrates changed into sugars leading to high blood sugar levels.
- Try to avoid potatoes as they are high glycaemic foods that increase the risk of high sugar in the blood.
- A person should limit the consumption of alcohol and quit smoking.
- Keep your blood pressure as normal (120/80) as possible, as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases in diabetes patients.
- Do not take stress as it may elevate your blood sugar level. You can adopt stress management techniques like mindfulness to control stress-related blood sugar changes.
Special Advise
You should have a test of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) every 3 months to check your blood glucose level control.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Type 2 diabetes: It is a chronic or lifelong condition in which the body's cells fail to respond to insulin and, in later stages, the body fails to produce enough insulin. It accounts for roughly 90% of all diabetes cases. Because of this condition, the body must rely on various energy sources in muscles, tissues, and organs. Early symptoms of this disease include constant hunger, lack of energy, fatigue, weight loss, excessive thirst, frequent urination, dry mouth, itchy skin, and blurry vision. Type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes, is most common in people in their forties and fifties. The risks of uncontrolled type 2 diabetes include retinal damage or blindness, limb loss, nerve problems, kidney problems, sexual dysfunction, and an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
FAQs
Canagliflozin is used to treat type 2 diabetes, also called 'non-insulin-dependent diabetes.
Canagliflozin is a type of medicine known as a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor used for the treatment of type -2 diabetes. It lowers blood sugar levels by blocking the action of SGLT-2 in the kidney and removing excess sugar from your body through urination.
Take the missed dose as soon as possible. However, if it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.
Do not stop taking Canagliflozin until your prescribed course is finished, even if you feel better.
Once blood sugar goes below the normal range (70mg/dl), it is called hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. If you feel your sugar level is going down and feel weak, immediately eat sugar candies. It will help to balance the blood sugar level in your body. So, it is advisable to keep sugar candies with you if you have diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic (long-lasting) condition that keeps the body away from properly utilizing insulin. Hence, people affected with type 2 diabetes either do not produce enough insulin, or there is resistance to the action of insulin. Middle-aged or older are most likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes, so it is also known as adult-onset diabetes. The symptoms include frequent urination at night, increased thirst, slow wound healing, increased hunger, fatigue, and blurred vision.
During the treatment with Canagliflozin, maintain a healthy diet and do regular exercise to control blood sugar levels. Avoid skipping any dose of Canagliflozin, as it may cause fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions and any other medications that you are taking.
No, Invokana tablet and metformin are not the same. Though, both the medicines are used to treat Type 2 diabetes mellitus, their mechanisms of action are different.
Take Canagliflozin with or without food as prescribed by your doctor. Try to take it at the same time every day. Swallow it as whole with a glass of water. Do not crush, break or chew it.
Record your blood sugar levels, either daily or on a regular basis so that you can show them to your doctor on your next visit. Your doctor will examine these reports and let you know whether Canagliflozin is working or not.
Patients with a history of amputation are more prone to lower limb amputation. Patients with foot ulcers or sores, as well as those who have or had heart disease, are also at high risk. Additionally, patients who have or have suffered from neuropathy (nerve damage that causes numbness, tingling, and pain, usually in your hands and feet) and peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of blood vessels in feet, legs, or arms causing numbness, pain, or coldness) are also at high risk of lower limb amputation.
Canagliflozin usually causes loss of fat mass which typically results in weight loss. However, this may differ from person to person depending upon the doses and whether it is being used alone or with other diabetes medications.
The serious side effects of Canagliflozin are sudden kidney impairment, ketoacidosis (increased ketones in your blood or urine), low blood sugar, some allergic reaction, and serious urinary tract infections. Although it is rare, Canagliflozin may also cause a severe bacterial infection that may damage the tissue beneath the skin in the perineum (area between and around the anus and genitals). Canagliflozin may weaken your bones, increasing the risk of fractures, especially in the wrists, upper arms, or hands.
