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Diabetes agents · Endocrine

Empagliflozin

Jardiance®(brand names vary by market)

The SGLT2 inhibitor that turned a diabetes drug into heart-failure and kidney therapy.

Illustration of Empagliflozin as a tabletEMP

Mechanism

Blocks SGLT2 in the proximal tubule: glucose (and sodium) are spilled in urine: modest glucose lowering, meaningful hemodynamic and renal protection.

Indications

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Heart failure (reduced and preserved EF), with or without diabetes
  • Proteinuric chronic kidney disease

Formulations

Tablet

Dosing concepts

Glucosuric by design

Genital mycotic infections follow the sugar; hygiene counselling prevents most.

Sick days

Hold during dehydration, fasting, or perioperative periods. Euglycemic DKA is the trap.

Concepts, not prescribing instructions. Practice numbers live in current references and local protocols.

Pharmacokinetics

Bioavailability
~78%
Half-life
~12 h
Elimination
mixed
Play with these concepts in the PK Lab

Adverse effects

  • Genital mycotic infectionscommon
  • Volume depletion, dizzinesscommon
  • Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosisseriousKetosis with near-normal glucose; nausea and malaise are the clue.

Contraindications & precautions

Contraindications

  • Type 1 diabetes (outside specialist use)
  • History of DKA on an SGLT2 inhibitor

Precautions

  • Perioperative periods and prolonged fasting
  • Recurrent genital infections
  • Very low eGFR for glucose-lowering purposes (protection indications extend lower)

Interactions

No curated interaction entries yet for this agent.

Monitoring

Volume status and blood pressure

It is a mild diuretic

eGFR

An early small dip is expected and protective, mirroring RAAS blockers

Ketones if unwell

Euglycemic DKA does not announce itself with glucose

Counselling points

  • Expect more urination at first; keep fluids up.
  • Genital hygiene matters on this drug; thrush is treatable, tell us early.
  • Pause it when fasting for surgery or seriously unwell, even if sugars look fine.

Clinical pearls

  • The eGFR dip on starting parallels ACE inhibitors: hemodynamic, expected, protective. Do not reflexively stop.

References & review

  • Empagliflozin product monograph (consult the current version for your market) (monograph)
  • Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 14th ed. (reference-work)

Last reviewed 2026-08-15 · jurisdiction: global · drug information changes; verify against current references before practice use.