Key takeaways:
Jardiance (empagliflozin) is a medication that can help manage Type 2 diabetes. But it’s also FDA approved to help adults with or without diabetes manage heart failure.
Jardiance is a once-daily oral tablet. Common side effects include more frequent urination, genital yeast infections, and urinary tract infections.
There are ways to save on Jardiance. If you’re eligible, a manufacturer savings card can help you access Jardiance for as little as $10 per prescription. A patient assistance program is also available.
Save on related medications
Jardiance (empagliflozin) is a medication that has multiple uses. Many people know it as a Type 2 diabetes treatment. But it’s also FDA approved to help adults with or without diabetes manage heart failure.
Below, we’ll explain how Jardiance works for heart failure and what you should expect while taking this medication.
What is Jardiance (empagliflozin)?
Jardiance is a sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor. It contains the active ingredient empagliflozin. Jardiance primarily works by removing extra blood sugar (blood glucose) from your body through your kidneys. Other common medications in this class include Farxiga (dapagliflozin) and Invokana (canagliflozin).
What is Jardiance approved for?
Jardiance currently has four FDA-approved uses:
To lower the risk of heart failure-related hospitalizations and cardiovascular death for adults with heart failure (with or without diabetes)
To lower blood sugar for adults and children ages 10 and older with Type 2 diabetes
To lower the risk of cardiovascular death for adults with Type 2 diabetes and heart disease
To lower the risk of worsening kidney function, hospitalization, and cardiovascular death for adults with chronic kidney disease (with or without diabetes)
How does Jardiance work to treat heart failure?
At this time, experts are unsure exactly how Jardiance and other SGLT2 inhibitors treat heart failure. So far, it’s believed that these medications:
Remove extra fluid from the bloodstream through the kidneys to help take stress off the heart
Lower blood pressure
Reduce heart inflammation
Prevent the heart from changing shape over time
How effective is Jardiance for heart failure?
Jardiance is a recommended treatment for adults with heart failure. This includes both heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). And when it comes to managing HFpEF specifically, Jardiance is a first-choice medication.
Two different clinical trials looked at Jardiance for heart failure. One trial looked at its use for HFrEF; the other looked at it for HFpEF. In both studies, people taking Jardiance had a lower risk of heart-failure related hospitalization and death compared to those not taking it.
Can Jardiance treat heart failure in people without diabetes?
Yes, Jardiance can treat heart failure in people with and without diabetes.
During the clinical trials discussed above, about half of the participants had Type 2 diabetes, and half did not. People experienced similar results with Jardiance regardless of whether they had diabetes.
What are the side effects of Jardiance?
Side effects of Jardiance for heart failure are similar to when people take the medication for Type 2 diabetes. Common side effects include:
Genital yeast infections (more common for women than men)
Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
Urinating more than usual
Upper respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold
Raised cholesterol
Nausea
Joint pain
Modest weight loss
What’s it like to take Jardiance? Three people share their Jardiance (empagliflozin) stories.
Does Jardiance have a generic? Not yet, but there are still ways to save. Here are some pharmacist-backed tips to save on Jardiance.
Any serious side effects? Learn more about notable Jardiance side effects — from yeast infections to joint pain — and how to manage them.
Rare but serious side effects include:
Low blood sugar
Serious genital infections
Serious UTIs
Ketoacidosis (too much acid in the blood)
This isn’t a full list of all possible Jardiance side effects. Side effects may also vary depending on what you’re taking Jardiance for. Discuss these risks with your healthcare team before starting the medication.
How do you take Jardiance for heart failure?
The typical Jardiance dosage for heart failure is 1 tablet (10 mg) by mouth once a day. It’s best to take your dose in the morning. And you can take it with or without food. But if you find that Jardiance makes you feel nauseated, taking it with food may help lessen that side effect.
How to save on Jardiance
There are ways to save on Jardiance, which is available as a brand-name medication. GoodRx can help you navigate between copay savings cards and patient assistance programs to save money on your prescription.
Save with a copay savings card. If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $10 for Jardiance using a savings card from the manufacturer.
Save with patient assistance programs. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Jardiance’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
Frequently asked questions
For many people, Jardiance’s side effects become less bothersome as your body adjusts to the medication. But they may never totally go away. For instance, you’ll likely always have to urinate more shortly after taking your dose. And your risk of developing yeast infections or UTIs is always higher while taking Jardiance compared to if you’re not taking it. But these side effects should be mild and easily manageable. If you experience anything that seems severe or excessive, tell your prescriber.
If you take Jardiance at night, you’ll likely have to get up to pee, which would disrupt your sleep. Jardiance works by removing extra sugar and fluid through your urine. This side effect usually happens during the hours following your dose. So if you take it in the morning, you’re less likely to have to get up to pee overnight.
But if you work night shifts, you should take Jardiance whenever you wake up for the day. Don’t take Jardiance in the morning hours if this is when you usually go to bed.
No, it’s unlikely that you’ll lose the same amount of weight with Jardiance as you would with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, such as Ozempic (semaglutide). Jardiance may cause modest weight loss (about 4 lbs to 5 lbs) for some people who take it. But not everyone who takes it loses weight. GLP-1 medications often cause more significant weight loss. For example, people using the highest Ozempic dose in studies lost an average of 15 lbs.
For many people, Jardiance’s side effects become less bothersome as your body adjusts to the medication. But they may never totally go away. For instance, you’ll likely always have to urinate more shortly after taking your dose. And your risk of developing yeast infections or UTIs is always higher while taking Jardiance compared to if you’re not taking it. But these side effects should be mild and easily manageable. If you experience anything that seems severe or excessive, tell your prescriber.
If you take Jardiance at night, you’ll likely have to get up to pee, which would disrupt your sleep. Jardiance works by removing extra sugar and fluid through your urine. This side effect usually happens during the hours following your dose. So if you take it in the morning, you’re less likely to have to get up to pee overnight.
But if you work night shifts, you should take Jardiance whenever you wake up for the day. Don’t take Jardiance in the morning hours if this is when you usually go to bed.
No, it’s unlikely that you’ll lose the same amount of weight with Jardiance as you would with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medications, such as Ozempic (semaglutide). Jardiance may cause modest weight loss (about 4 lbs to 5 lbs) for some people who take it. But not everyone who takes it loses weight. GLP-1 medications often cause more significant weight loss. For example, people using the highest Ozempic dose in studies lost an average of 15 lbs.
The bottom line
Jardiance (empagliflozin) is an oral medication that can help adults with or without Type 2 diabetes manage heart failure. Jardiance can help lower the risk of heart failure-related hospitalizations and death.
Most people can take Jardiance for heart failure without serious side effects. But it can make you have to urinate more after taking it. And it can cause genital yeast infections and urinary tract infections. If you have heart failure, ask your healthcare team whether Jardiance would be right for you.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Heart Association. (2023). Ejection fraction heart failure measurement.
Anker, S. D., et al. (2021). Empagliflozin in heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction. The New England Journal of Medicine.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. (2025). Jardiance- empagliflozin tablet, film coated [package insert]. DailyMed.
Chen, B., et al. (2024). Role and molecular mechanisms of SGLT2 inhibitors in pathological cardiac remodeling (review). Molecular Medicine Reports.
Heidenreich, P. A., et al. (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on clinical practice guidelines. Circulation.
Kittleson, M. M., et al. (2023). 2023 ACC expert consensus decision pathway on management of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee. Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Lopaschuk, G. D., et al. (2020). Mechanisms of cardiovascular benefits of sodium glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science.
Packer, M., et al. (2020). Cardiovascular and renal outcomes with empagliflozin in heart failure. The New England Journal of Medicine.
