Key takeaways:
You shouldn’t mix Jardiance (empagliflozin) and alcohol. The combination can raise the risk of serious side effects, such as ketoacidosis (high acid levels in the blood), low blood glucose (sugar), and dehydration.
Alcohol can also affect certain health conditions that Jardiance treats. Drinking can lower your blood sugar levels and put strain on your kidneys. This can make it harder for Jardiance to work properly.
Ask your prescriber before drinking alcohol while taking Jardiance. They can review your health history and tell you if an occasional drink may be OK for you to have.
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Starting any new medication can lead to a lot of questions. How does this medication work? Do you need to change any habits or anything about your diet? One dietary change that people often overlook is whether alcohol interacts with their medications.
If you’re starting Jardiance (empagliflozin), it’s good to know if you can have a drink while taking it. But taking Jardiance and drinking alcohol can lead to serious side effects. And drinking can also affect the health conditions you’re taking it for.
How does Jardiance work?
Jardiance is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. Many people know it as a Type 2 diabetes medication. But it’s also FDA approved to manage heart failure and chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Jardiance works by removing extra glucose (sugar) and sodium (salt) from your bloodstream through your kidneys. This helps lower blood sugar levels. It also takes stress off the heart and kidneys.
What happens if you mix Jardiance and alcohol?
Alcohol can worsen certain Jardiance side effects. And it can raise the risk of serious complications that are rare when you take Jardiance as directed. Because of these risks, it’s not recommended to drink alcohol at all while taking the medication.
Below are more details on three notable risks of mixing Jardiance and alcohol.
1. Ketoacidosis
Both Jardiance and alcohol carry a risk of ketoacidosis. Combining them raises this risk. This is especially true if you binge drink (4 or more drinks for women and 5 or more drinks for men within about 2 hours).
Ketoacidosis is a life-threatening complication of diabetes in which your blood becomes acidic. It usually happens only if your sugar levels are dangerously high. But in rare cases, it can happen when your sugar levels are in your target range. Ketoacidosis is a medical emergency that requires treatment in a hospital.
2. Low blood sugar
If you’re living with diabetes, mixing Jardiance and alcohol also raises the risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
On its own, alcohol lowers blood sugar. And if you’re living with diabetes, it can cause your sugar levels to go too low. That’s why it’s recommended for people living with diabetes to limit how much alcohol they drink.
When taken by itself, Jardiance doesn’t usually cause low blood sugar. But drinking alcohol raises this risk. And if you also take certain diabetes medications, such as insulin, your risk is even higher.
3. Dehydration
Whether you have diabetes or not, combining Jardiance and alcohol can lead to dehydration.
Jardiance removes extra sugar and salt from your body through your kidneys. They leave your body through your urine. This causes you to pee more than usual. Rarely, this Jardiance side effect can cause dehydration. Your risk is higher if you take it with other medications or substances that make you urinate more.
Alcohol is a substance that causes you to pee more. In severe cases, heavy drinking can lead to dehydration. Drinking alcohol while taking Jardiance makes dehydration more likely.
If you’re going to consume alcohol while taking Jardiance, be sure to drink enough hydrating fluids. This can help lower the risk of dehydration.
Can alcohol make Jardiance less effective?
Alcohol doesn’t directly make Jardiance less effective. But it can negatively affect three health conditions Jardiance treats: Type 2 diabetes, CKD, and heart failure.
Alcohol raises the risk of low blood sugar for people living with Type 2 diabetes. But some alcoholic beverages, such as sweet wines, are high in sugar. These drinks can cause a sugar spike shortly after drinking, followed by lower sugar levels a few hours later. Your diabetes medications, including Jardiance, may not be able to manage these ups and downs very well.
Alcohol can put strain on the kidneys. It makes it harder for your kidneys to filter waste from your bloodstream. If you have CKD, this added stress raises your risk for kidney damage. Jardiance may have a harder time protecting your kidneys if alcohol is putting extra strain on them.
Heavy or regular drinking can have negative effects on heart health. Alcohol can raise your blood pressure, which can worsen heart failure over time. So Jardiance may have a harder time managing this condition if you drink alcohol. Alcohol also counts as part of your daily fluid total. Many people living with heart failure are supposed to limit the amount of fluids they consume.
How much alcohol can you drink while taking Jardiance?
To be clear, no amount of alcohol is considered safe for anyone to consume. And given the potential risks, it’s not a good idea to drink at all if you’re taking Jardiance.
But totally avoiding alcohol may not be realistic for everyone. Speak with your prescriber. They can review your health history and tell you if an occasional drink while taking Jardiance might be OK for you. They can also help you safely cut back on or stop drinking if you’re having trouble doing so on your own.
If you or someone you know struggles with substance use, help is available. Call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 to learn about resources in your area.
What other Jardiance interactions should you know about?
Alcohol isn’t the only interaction to be aware of. Jardiance also interacts with:
Diuretics (“water pills”), such as furosemide (Lasix)
Insulin
Sulfonylureas, such as glipizide (Glucotrol XL)
Glinides, such as repaglinide
Lithium (Lithobid)
These aren’t the only medications that interact with Jardiance. Be sure to share a list of medications and supplements you take with your prescriber and pharmacist. They can use this list to help manage or prevent interactions.
Foods to avoid while taking Jardiance
There are also some foods and drinks (along with alcohol) you may want to limit or avoid while taking Jardiance:
Caffeinated drinks, such as coffee or tea
Foods high in sugar or with added sugars, such as baked goods
Ultra-processed (refined) carbohydrates, such as white bread
Foods high in salt, such as chips and deli meats
It may not be realistic to completely avoid these foods. But limiting them can help maximize Jardiance’s benefits. Ask your healthcare team if you should make any dietary changes.
Frequently asked questions
Common or mild Jardiance side effects include:
Genital fungal (yeast) infections
Increased urination
Upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold
Raised cholesterol
Nausea
Joint pain
In very rare cases, Jardiance can cause low blood sugar, serious urinary or genital infections, or dehydration. It also has a risk of ketoacidosis, but this is also rare. Discuss these risks with your prescriber before taking Jardiance.
No alcohol is considered safe if you’re living with diabetes. But high-sugar alcoholic drinks, such as sweet wines and mixed drinks, can cause initial spikes in your blood sugar levels. All alcohol also raises your risk of low blood sugar in the hours after drinking.
Talk to your healthcare team about whether drinking occasionally would be OK for you. If you’re going to drink, try to stick to low-sugar alcohol drinks, such as light beers or dry wines.
Common or mild Jardiance side effects include:
Genital fungal (yeast) infections
Increased urination
Upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold
Raised cholesterol
Nausea
Joint pain
In very rare cases, Jardiance can cause low blood sugar, serious urinary or genital infections, or dehydration. It also has a risk of ketoacidosis, but this is also rare. Discuss these risks with your prescriber before taking Jardiance.
No alcohol is considered safe if you’re living with diabetes. But high-sugar alcoholic drinks, such as sweet wines and mixed drinks, can cause initial spikes in your blood sugar levels. All alcohol also raises your risk of low blood sugar in the hours after drinking.
Talk to your healthcare team about whether drinking occasionally would be OK for you. If you’re going to drink, try to stick to low-sugar alcohol drinks, such as light beers or dry wines.
The bottom line
Jardiance (empagliflozin) and alcohol can be a risky combination. Alcohol raises your risk of serious Jardiance side effects. These include ketoacidosis (too much acid in the blood), low blood sugar (glucose), and dehydration. Alcohol can also worsen certain conditions that Jardiance treats. Drinking could make it harder for Jardiance to work well.
Talk to your healthcare team before drinking alcohol while taking Jardiance. They can help you decide if an occasional drink might be OK for you.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Alcohol and diabetes.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. (2026). Jardiance- empagliflozin tablet, film coated [package insert]. DailyMed.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. (2025). Understanding binge drinking. National Institutes of Health.
National Kidney Foundation. (n.d.). Alcohol and your kidneys.
Plewa, M. C., et al. (2023). Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. StatPearls.
