Dapagliflozin Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on May 30, 2024.

Applies to dapagliflozin: oral tablet.

Serious side effects of dapagliflozin

Along with its needed effects, dapagliflozin may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking dapagliflozin:

More common

• anxiety
• bladder pain
• bloody or cloudy urine
• blurred vision
• chills
• cold sweats
• confusion
• cool, pale skin
• decreased frequency or amount of urine
• depression
• difficult, burning, or painful urination
• dizziness
• fast heartbeat
• frequent urge to urinate
• headache
• increased hunger
• increased thirst
• itching of the vagina or genitals
• loss of appetite
• loss of consciousness
• lower back or side pain
• nausea
• nightmares
• seizures
• shakiness
• slurred speech
• swelling of the face, fingers, or lower legs
• thick, white vaginal discharge with mild or no odor
• trouble breathing
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• vomiting
• weight gain

Less common

• foul smelling discharge from the penis
• pain in the skin around the penis
• rash of the penis
• redness, itching, or swelling of the penis

Rare

• cough
• difficulty with swallowing
• dizziness, faintness, or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
• dry mouth
• fainting
• increase in heart rate
• large, hive-like swelling on the face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or genitals
• lightheadedness
• puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
• rapid breathing
• skin rash, hives, or itching
• sunken eyes
• sweating
• tightness in the chest
• wrinkled skin

Incidence not known

• fever
• flushed, dry skin
• fruit-like breath odor
• loss of consciousness
• pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling of the area between the anus and genitals
• stomach pain
• unexplained weight loss

Other side effects of dapagliflozin

Some side effects of dapagliflozin may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

• muscle aches
• sore throat
• stuffy or runny nose

Less common

• back pain
• difficulty having a bowel movement
• pain in the arms or legs

For healthcare professionals

Applies to dapagliflozin: oral tablet.

General

The most common adverse reactions included female genital mycotic infections, nasopharyngitis, and urinary tract infections.^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Common (1% to 10%): Urinary tract infections increased urination, discomfort with urination, female genital mycotic infections (including vulvovaginal mycotic infection, vaginal infection, vulvovaginal candidiasis, vulvovaginitis, genital infection, genital candidiasis fungal genital infection, vulvitis, genitourinary tract infection, vulval abscess, and vaginitis bacterial), and male mycotic infections (including balanitis, fungal genital infection, balanitis candida, genital candidiasis, genital infection male, penile infection, balanoposthitis, balanoposthitis infective, genital infection, posthitis)
• Postmarketing reports: Urosepsis, pyelonephritis, Fournier's gangrene^[Ref]

In the 5 years (2013 to 2018) since SGLT2 inhibitor approval, 12 cases of Fournier's gangrene have been reported. Reports were almost equal in men and women (men=7; women=5), ages ranged from 38 to 78 years, and the average time to onset after starting an SGLT2 inhibitor was 9.2 months (range 7 days to 25 months). All SGLT2 inhibitor drugs except ertugliflozin were included in the reports. Ertugliflozin being the most recently approved agent, is expected to have the same risk, but insufficient patient use to assess risk. All patients were hospitalized, all required surgery, all required surgical debridement, 5 required more than 1 surgery and 1 required skin grafting. Four cases were complicated by diabetic ketoacidosis, acute kidney injury, and septic shock, leading to prolonged hospitalization, and death in 1 case. In the general population, Fournier's gangrene occurs in about 1.6 out of 100,000 males annually, with the highest incidence in men 50 to 79 years. Since diabetes is a risk factor for Fournier's gangrene, a review of the FAERS database for the last 34 years was done and only 6 cases (all males, median age 57 years) were found with several other classes of antidiabetic drugs. Findings with SGLT2 inhibitors appear to show an association over a shorter time frame and involve both males and females.^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Common (1% to 10%): Dyslipidemia
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): adverse reactions related to reduced intravascular volume (postural hypotension, orthostatic hypotension, hypotension, dehydration, and syncope)^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Very common (10% or more): Hypoglycemia (up to 43%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Hyperphosphatemia, increases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Decreased weight
• Postmarketing reports: Acidosis including diabetic ketoacidosis, ketoacidosis, or ketosis^[Ref]

Hypoglycemia was reported more frequently when this drug was added to sulfonylurea or insulin (up to 43%). Hypoglycemia was not reported in monotherapy trials, and was reported infrequently in add-on trials with metformin, pioglitazone, and dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (up to 1.5%,2.1%, and 1.8% respectively). Severe hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) have only been observed in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Ketoacidosis has been reported in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving SGLT2 inhibitors including this drug. Fatalities have been reported. The presentation of ketoacidosis in many cases was atypical with only moderately increased blood glucose values (below 250 mg/dL [14 mmol/L] ). Factors that appear to have predisposed patients to ketoacidosis included insulin deficiency from any cause (including insulin pump failure, insulin dose reduction, history of pancreatitis or pancreatic surgery), reduced caloric intake or increased insulin requirements due to infections, low carbohydrate diet, acute illness, surgery, a previous ketoacidosis, dehydration and alcohol abuse.

In the DECLARE (Dapagliflozin Effect on Cardiovascular Events) study, DKA was reported in 27 and 12 patients in the dapagliflozin (n=8574) and placebo (n=8569) groups, respectively. Mean changes in LDL cholesterol were 0.4 mg/dL and -2.5 mg/dL in the dapagliflozin and placebo groups, respectively.^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Common (1% to 10%): Nausea, constipation
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Thirst, dry mouth^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Rare (less than 0.1%): Serious anaphylactic reactions, severe cutaneous reactions, and angioedema^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Common (1% to 10%): Back pain, extremity pain
• Frequency not reported: Bone fracture^[Ref]

Bone fractured occurred in 13 patients receiving this drug compared with no placebo patients in a study of patients with an eGFR of 30 to less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2.^[Ref]

Immunologic

• Common (1% to 10%): Influenza^[Ref]

Oncologic

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Bladder cancer^[Ref]

Newly diagnosed bladder cancer was reported in 10 of 6045 (0.17%) patients receiving this drug in clinical trials compared with 1 of 3512 (0.3%) patients receiving placebo or comparator. Upon excluding patients in whom exposure to study drug was less than 1 year at time of diagnosis, there were no cases associated with placebo and 4 cases with this drug. Due to the low number of cases, further studies are needed.^[Ref]

Renal

• Frequency not reported: Renal failure, serum creatinine increase
• Postmarketing reports: Acute kidney injury, renal impairment^[Ref]

From March 2013 to October 2015, the US FDA received 101 confirmable case reports of acute kidney injury (AKI) with use of canagliflozin (n=73) or dapagliflozin (n=28). Hospitalization was necessary for evaluation and management in 96 cases; admission to the intensive care unit occurred in 22 cases, and death occurred in 4 patients, of which 2 were cardiac-related. Dialysis was necessary in 15 patients, 3 of whom had a history of chronic kidney disease or previous AKI. In 58 cases, time to onset of AKI was within 1 month or less of initiating therapy. In 78 cases in which drug discontinuation was reported, 56 reported subsequent improvement; 3 patients recovered with sequelae, 11 patients did not recover (including the 4 deaths mentioned earlier). Median age was 57 years (range 28 to 78 years; based on 84 cases reporting age). Concomitant ACE inhibitor therapy was reported in 51 cases, diuretic use in 26 cases, and NSAID use in 6 cases. Almost half the patients reported a change in renal function at time of diagnosis (median elevation of serum creatinine from baseline 1.6 mg/dL [based on 32 cases reporting serum creatinine] and median decrease in eGFR 46 mL/min/1.73m2 [based on 13 cases reporting eGFR]).^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Frequency not reported: Small increases in serum parathyroid hormone levels^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Common (1% to 10%): Dizziness, headache^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Very rare (less than 0.01%): Hepatitis^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Common (1% to 10%): Nasopharyngitis^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Postmarketing reports: Rash^[Ref]

Frequently asked questions

• What are the ingredient drugs contained in Qternmet XR?

Further information

Dapagliflozin side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Some side effects may not be reported. You may report them to the FDA.

Medical Disclaimer