If you are a type 2 diabetes patient and are looking for an alternative to the usual oral antidiabetic medications, at this point in time, you may want to try a new drug called farxiga. Farxiga is an SGLT2 inhibitor that helps the body remove excess sugar from the blood. Type 2 diabetes is caused by your body being unable to produce enough insulin or process it correctly.
The main task of this drug is to prevent glucose from being absorbed from your intestines and re-enter your bloodstream. It’s important that you know everything about farxiga before starting its treatment as side effects can be dangerous. Keep reading for more information about it and other alternatives if you think that it’s not suitable for you right now.
What is Farxiga?
Farxiga is one of the newer diabetes medications that has been on the market since late 2013. It is an oral diabetes drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes by decreasing the amount of sugar in the blood. Farxiga is a sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor that works in the intestine and blocks sugar from being absorbed and then re-entering your blood.
Farxiga is used along with diet and exercise to control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Blood sugar is the amount of sugar in your blood. Diabetes is when your body can’t make enough insulin or can’t use insulin correctly. Insulin helps your body turn food into energy.
How does Farxiga Work?
Farxiga is different from other diabetes medications. Other oral diabetes drugs are sulfonylureas or meglitinides. These medications are glucose-dependent, meaning that in order for them to work, there needs to be some sugar in the blood. SGLT2 inhibitors, on the other hand, are glucose-independent. They are not dependent on having sugar in order to function.
What happens is that the drug blocks the absorption of sugar from foods that you eat. This means that the drug is not needed to process glucose from the bloodstream. Instead, it is used to prevent the amount of unabsorbed sugar from the food that you ate from entering your blood. A lot of patients using this drug complain about a constant feeling of being full. This is because these patients are not absorbing as many calories or as much sugar from the foods that they eat.
Swelling in the feet or legs: Since Farxiga is an SGLT2 inhibitor that blocks the absorption of glucose, it also causes swelling in the feet. People who have health conditions or conditions related to the feet such as arthritis, gout or diabetic neuropathy are the ones who are at higher risk of experiencing swelling in the feet while taking Farxiga. To avoid swelling, you must increase your intake of water.
Urinary tract infection (UTI):- Another side effect you may experience while taking Farxiga is a UTI. UTIs can be painful, and you may experience fever, chills, and blood in your urine. If you experience these symptoms, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible.
Bladder infection:- The sugar that accumulates in your urine is not absorbed by the body. Instead, it flows out of your body via urination. If there is too much sugar in your urine and it is not eliminated from your bladder, bacteria can grow and cause an infection. This can be dangerous and you should go to the doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms.
Feeling like you need to urinate all the time:- A burning sensation when urinating, needing to urinate urgently or frequently and discharge from your urethra.
Kidney damage:- When you take Farxiga, your kidneys don’t function as they normally do. As a result, they are unable to process wastes, salts and fluids as they should. This can lead to a buildup of fluid in your body, causing swelling in your ankles, legs, ankles and feet. It can also lead to kidney damage.
How to Take Farxiga?
When you are prescribed Farxiga, it’s important to understand the dosage and how to take it. The drug comes in two different forms. It can be taken as either a 10 mg tablet or as a 5 mg/5 mg (dual-release tablets). The first form is to be taken once daily with the meal and the second one once before bed.
If you have been prescribed the 5 mg/5 mg tablet, you must take it with a meal that contains fat in order for the drug to be properly absorbed. Keep in mind that you should not consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking Farxiga. Grapefruit is known to increase the level of the drug in your bloodstream, which can lead to serious side effects.
You should also avoid taking Farxiga if you are taking the following medications: – Pimozide, Quinidine, Levamisole and St. John’s wort.
Alternatives to Farxiga
Metformin: This is one of the most common drugs prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes. It works by decreasing the amount of glucose released from the liver into the bloodstream and increasing the amount of insulin produced by the pancreas. Metformin is not a SGLT2 inhibitor and as such, it is less likely to cause side effects such as bladder infections or swelling in the feet.
Dapagliflozin: This drug is an SGLT2 inhibitor like Farxiga and is used in the same way to decrease blood sugar. Dapagliflozin is not only used to treat type 2 diabetes but is also suitable for patients with type 1 diabetes. The main side effect when taking this drug is that it may cause fluid retention in your body. This is because it works by increasing the amount of sodium and water excreted in your urine.
Final Words: What you need to know about Farxiga
Farxiga is an SGLT2 inhibitor that is used to treat type 2 diabetes by decreasing the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. It is an oral diabetes drug that is taken daily with a meal. Farxiga is not a glucose-dependent medication, meaning that it does not rely on having sugar in the blood to function.
When taking Farxiga, you must be aware of the side effects that it can cause. You can reduce the risk of experiencing adverse effects by increasing your intake of water and limiting your intake of grapefruit and grapefruit juice. If you are looking for an alternative to Farxiga, Metformin and Dapagliflozin are drugs that work in a different way and are less likely to cause side effects.