Fast Facts on Jardiance: Uses, Side Effects, Dosage, Costs, and More

There are three types of diabetes, but more than 90% of people living with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes. Due to its common but potentially serious nature, many pharmaceutical companies are developing new medications to treat it.

One growing category of medications used to treat Type 2 diabetes is sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors. This group of medications includes Jardiance (empagliflozin), Farxiga (dapagliflozin), Invokana (canagliflozin), and more.

Several SGLT2 inhibitors — especially Jardiance and Farxiga — are becoming quite popular. In fact, SGLT2 inhibitors have been incorporated into clinical guidelines as a recommended treatment option for Type 2 diabetes and other related conditions (which we’ll discuss later).

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You can find Jardiance as a brand-name tablet. You can also find its active ingredient in a combination tablet with metformin (branded as Synjardy). Here, we’ll dive deeper into Jardiance’s uses, side effects, cost, and more.

What is Jardiance, and how does it work?

Jardiance is a once-daily tablet that’s FDA approved to treat Type 2 diabetes — in addition to a diabetes-friendly diet and routine exercise — in adults and children age 10 years and older.

Jardiance belongs to a drug class called SGLT2 inhibitors. It works in your kidneys to reduce the amount of glucose (sugar) that’s reabsorbed into your bloodstream. This excess glucose is then released into your urine so it can leave your body. Jardiance also reduces the amount of salt that your body reabsorbs.

What else is Jardiance used for?

Jardiance was initially approved for Type 2 diabetes in 2014. It’s been approved for additional conditions since then. Jardiance can:

• Lower the risk of cardiovascular death in adults who have Type 2 diabetes and heart disease

• Lower the risk of cardiovascular death and hospitalization in adults with heart failure

• Lower the risk of cardiovascular death, hospitalization, and kidney disease progression in adults with chronic kidney disease

With these additional approvals, it now can be widely used for these four different purposes.

Good to know: Jardiance is not meant to be used by people with Type 1 diabetes or severe kidney problems.

Does Jardiance cause weight loss?

Jardiance may potentially help with weight loss. This is an off-label use. In one study, people lost an average 4 lbs to 6 lbs after taking Jardiance for about 6 months. Other data shows similar weight-loss results.

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It’s important to note that potential weight-loss benefits vary. Whether and how much weight you lose is impacted by factors such as diet, exercise, and other medications you may be taking, like metformin.

Are there any other benefits?

Yes. Aside from its effects on body weight, Jardiance has other potential benefits. These include:

• Lower systolic blood pressure: Although Jardiance isn’t prescribed to treat high blood pressure directly, it may modestly lower systolic blood pressure (the top number in your blood pressure reading).

• Heart benefits: People with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to experience heart issues. In clinical studies, Jardiance was found to help protect the heart, which researchers refer to as “cardioprotective effects.” These protective benefits are on top of those already gained through improving blood glucose levels. These findings led to Jardiance’s heart-related FDA approvals.

• Kidney benefits: Jardiance helps protect the kidneys. In fact, in a study of people with Type 2 diabetes who also had heart disease, Jardiance lowered the risk of new or worsening kidney disease by 39% compared to placebo. This is relevant because people with Type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of eventually developing kidney disease. This data contributed to Jardiance’s approval in chronic kidney disease.

What are the possible side effects of Jardiance?

Not too many people experience bothersome side effects from Jardiance, but a few risks have been reported.

Possible Jardiance side effects include:

• Frequent urination

• Urinary tract infections

• Genital yeast infections

• Upper respiratory tract infections

• Joint pain

Less common but potentially serious side effects of Jardiance are hypoglycemia (low blood glucose), dehydration, and ketoacidosis (excess acid in the blood). But one positive note is that unlike Invokana, another SGLT2 inhibitor with heart benefits, Jardiance hasn’t been found to raise the risk of bone fractures.

Does Jardiance interact with any other medications?

Yes, Jardiance can interact with other medications. There are two main groups of medications that Jardiance tends to interact with: other blood glucose-lowering medications and diuretics.

Blood glucose-lowering medications

When Jardiance is used alongside other medications that lower glucose levels, it’s possible that your blood glucose could drop too low.

This risk of hypoglycemia appears to be highest when Jardiance is used with sulfonylureas, glinides, or insulin. Examples of sulfonylurea medications include glipizide, glimepiride (Amaryl), and glyburide (Glynase, DiaBeta). Repaglinide is one glinide that can interact with Jardiance. And several types of insulin can cause interactions, such as Lantus (insulin glargine), Humalog (insulin lispro), and Novolog (insulin aspart), to name a few.

Diuretics 

Diuretic medications help your body get rid of excess fluid. They’re sometimes referred to as “water pills.” Furosemide (Lasix) is a common example.

When you take Jardiance at the same time as a diuretic, there’s a higher risk of experiencing dehydration. This is because both medications work by making you get rid of more fluid than normal. This combination can make you go to the bathroom more frequently.

What are the recommended Jardiance dosages?

Jardiance is a tablet that you take by mouth once daily. It comes in two different tablet sizes: 10 mg and 25 mg. You can take it in the morning with or without food.

As mentioned earlier, Jardiance contains the active ingredient empagliflozin. Many people take it in combination with metformin. While you can take them separately, a combination medication is available, too. Synjardy is a medication that contains both empagliflozin and metformin in the same tablet. Synjardy is available in many doses, and it’s usually taken once or twice daily.

What do I need to know about Jardiance 10 mg?

When you first start taking Jardiance, you’ll likely start off by taking Jardiance 10 mg by mouth every morning. But, if your blood glucose levels remain high, a healthcare professional may increase your dose. They might raise your daily dose to 25 mg.

Alternatively, they might consider adjusting the doses of your other diabetes medications to help further reduce your blood glucose levels.

Farxiga vs. Jardiance

Farxiga and Jardiance are SGLT2 inhibitors that are relatively similar overall. They’re both oral tablets taken once daily and are recommended treatment options according to the American Diabetes Association. One key difference between the two is that Farxiga has a generic version available.

A healthcare professional may prescribe you one of these medications depending on your situation, medical history, and insurance coverage status.

How to save on Jardiance

Without insurance, a 30-day supply of Jardiance may cost $764.16 on average. But there are ways to save on Jardiance, which is only 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.

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Written by:

Jenna Clayton, PharmD

Jenna Clayton, PharmD earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Buffalo, New York. Throughout her doctoral program, Jenna gained experience in a variety of pharmaceutical settings, including community, hospital, long-term care, and ambulatory care settings.

Edited by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

Reviewed by:

Kristine Foley, PharmD

Kristine Foley is a licensed pharmacist with over 13 years of community pharmacy experience. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Rutgers University.

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