Empagliflozin
Empagliflozin is used along with diet and exercise, and sometimes with other medications, to lower blood sugar levels in adults and children 10 years of age and older with type 2 diabetes (condition in which blood sugar is too high because the body does not produce or use insulin normally). Empagliflozin is also used to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack, or death in people who have type 2 diabetes along with heart and blood vessel disease. Empagliflozin is also used in adults with heart failure to reduce the risk of needing to be hospitalized and death due to heart and blood vessel disease. Empagliflozin is in a class of medications called sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. It lowers blood sugar by causing the kidneys to get rid of more glucose in the urine. Empagliflozin is not used to treat type 1 diabetes (condition in which the body does not produce insulin and, therefore, cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood) or diabetic ketoacidosis (a serious condition that may develop if high blood sugar is not treated).
Over time, people who have diabetes and high blood sugar can develop serious or life-threatening complications, including heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, nerve damage, and eye problems. Taking medication(s), making lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, exercise, quitting smoking), and regularly checking your blood sugar may help to manage your diabetes and improve your health. This therapy may also decrease your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes-related complications such as kidney failure, nerve damage (numb, cold legs or feet; decreased sexual ability in men and women), eye problems, including changes or loss of vision, or gum disease. Your doctor and other healthcare providers will talk to you about the best way to manage your diabetes.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Empagliflozin comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day in the morning with or without food. Take empagliflozin at around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take empagliflozin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor may start you on a low dose of empagliflozin and increase your dose as needed.
Empagliflozin helps to control your condition, but does not cure it. Continue to take empagliflozin even if you feel well. Do not stop taking empagliflozin without talking to your doctor.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
The older you get, the more you will be forced to spend on healthcare. A couple retiring at age 65 in 2018 will spend $280,000, on average, on medical costs throughout their retirement, not counting the expense of over-the-counter medications or the cost of living in a nursing home, CBS News
