Empagliflozin and Lightheadedness: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2020

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "My physician prescribed Jardiance to me 8 days ago. Immediately, I didn't feel good but didn't attribute it to this medication until yesterday. I woke up, couldn't stand or much less walk without becoming extremely dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, and faint. Extreme thirst was also an issue but not nearly as bad as the other symptoms. I called my physician. They had me discontinue the medication and come immediately to the office. He stopped this medication and I'm trying to flush my system. I've been in bed the majority of the past two days. I will not be taking this medication again. The side effects are too horrible."

• Bin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2020

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Jardiance was a horrible drug for me! I took it for two months and it was two months too long. I didn’t experience a lot of the symptoms that so many did. My experience involved being constantly light-headed and falling. I never passed out but I came close many times. My husband got to the point where he would search for me to make sure I wasn’t on the floor. I reported it to my doctor and he didn’t ask or say anything about it. I have never felt the need to call the FDA, but I do with this drug!"

• Big...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 13, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "On Jardiance for type 2 diabetes and now have a major bleeding rash on the head of my penis as a side effect. Other side effects also; thirsty constantly, light-headed when getting up from sitting, small reduction in A1C but not significant. I believe this medication Jardiance is very dangerous and is being marketed to only make money and not provide any positive benefits. I stopped the medication 16 days ago, and the bleeding rash is 95% gone. I would avoid Jardiance like the plague!"

• Im...
• October 15, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking this medication along with metformin. It has made me thirsty all day, every day. No UTI or yeast infections. Blood sugar is lower in the morning as expected but not a significant amount. I’m thinking not enough to continue with this med. I do get light-headed upon standing, especially in the morning. Since starting it, my energy level is so low that I had to start laying down in the afternoon, and my ambition went south! I stopped taking it for four days, and my energy was back up, and I managed to get my house cleaned for the first time in months! I did not lose weight on this drug but actually gained with no diet changes. I’m not going to take it any longer for sugar readings that are 200 or below. I’d rather have the energy to burn the sugar myself!"

• Joa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 13, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Please don't touch Jardiance. This medicine is nothing but poison to the body. I had all these side effects from Jardiance: lightheadedness, fainting, tingling in my tongue and lips, so many yeast infections and UTIs, times three. But the worst of all is this drug made me so sick that I ended up in the hospital with ketoacidosis. Now my body is in so much pain, kidney infections. Some days I can't get out of bed. This company should be sued for the harm they are doing to people. What is it going to take for someone to die because of this stuff? The company that makes this should really take it off the market before something seriously happens."

• Eri...
• March 8, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Jardiance is... well, dangerous. I took one 10 mg tablet. In that period, I've had to urinate every two hours, massive quantities, drink almost continuously to avoid dehydration, had dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, it's triggered arthritis pain where normally my painkillers keep a lid on it, it's left me dazed and confused. My eyes feel weird, and I'm short of breath, like asthma. I went grocery shopping, I almost collapsed three times in 20 minutes. Standing up became a risk, sitting down I felt unwell, lying down was okay. In the end, 36 hours after taking a single 10 mg tablet, I did actually collapse unconscious. I won't be taking the second dose. I've just come round. 3 a.m. Feel a little better, but it's now 40 hours since I took the tablet, and I am still feeling unwell. The need to urinate so frequently has passed. There is still residual dizziness and nausea. I am drinking a lot of fluids to try and flush it out. Use this tablet with caution."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Started taking 10 mg Jardiance on April 9th, 2019. With exercise and Jardiance, I have lost 26 lbs in 99 days. 224.4 lbs down to 198.4 lbs. I pee more during the day, but I drink a lot of water. Sometimes, I feel slightly lightheaded if I arise too quickly. A1C went from 7.9% to 7.1%. Fasting blood sugars went from ~225 down to ~175. Have been walking about 15 miles per week at the gym. Lower carb diet."

• Bil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on 10 mg Jardiance for 38 days. My fasting glucose has decreased to around 140 mg/dL (from a mean of 225 mg/dL). I have lost (6.8 kg) (15 lbs) of weight. I have not experienced any significant side effects other than peeing about once per hour and occasional lightheadedness if I stand up too quickly. Would recommend."

• Sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 3, 2022

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I get it, everyone is different, but I will share my experience. I'm pre-diabetic. I took Jardiance for 5 days, and every day my symptoms got worse: dizzy, lightheaded, and feel like I'm gonna pass out. Literally felt like a zombie, as some described on here. These symptoms are not mentioned as a side effect, so I wanted to add my voice to the ones on here in hopes that it is taken seriously and looked into. I took meds for diabetes before, yet none gave me any side effects, but this one made me feel as if my body was about to shut down at any minute. I tested my blood pressure and my sugar, both were fine, so I'm not sure what was causing these symptoms and the feelings that I was having. Never again."

• Ann...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 6, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking this medication for one week, and it makes me extremely thirsty, and I feel the need to urinate mostly all the time. I feel light-headed and giddy when I stand, become really tired mid-afternoon (I take 10 mg around 8:00 a.m.), and occasionally feel sick. I have lost my appetite slightly but cannot see or feel any weight loss yet, which is what I hope for. It has helped my sugar levels, and as yet, I have had no signs of UTIs or intimate itching. Weirdly though, my lower arm itches like crazy. I've also had a few headaches, perhaps because I need to drink even more water. I will keep taking Jardiance as it's early days, but the constant thirst and urinating is a pain!"

• dbo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2021

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "This was the last SGLT2 that I will ever try. I have at various times been on Invokana, Invokamet, and Farxiga, and despite my reservations, now Jardiance. I could only take it for less than a week before deciding this was absolutely not for me. I had to pee at least once hourly and sometimes 2 or 3 times in an hour. This was extremely disruptive at work and when trying to drive any distance at all. It seemed that every time I emptied my bladder within an hour or less, I would have to go again. This also occurred at night and resulted in extreme daytime fatigue. The urgency would be so extreme that I would dribble in my clothes before making it to the bathroom. It seemed that I could not drink enough water. There was only a very modest lowering noted with my fingersticks blood sugar tests. The end for me was frequent episodes of lightheadedness so extreme that I thought I would faint. This occurred while sitting, standing, walking, and driving. This was the last straw, never again. Not for me."

• Els...
• July 5, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been prescribed this medication today to run alongside Metformin and have read a lot of reviews, listened to the nurse's advice, so I am hoping it will do what it says it will do. Unless you are strict with yourself and exercise regularly, then most of us with this condition will need some help, and now I do need further meds. I am 50 and menopausal, so a lot of the symptoms described, I do feel anyway! The aching, 'women's problems', constant itching all over, light-headed, etc. So I am not sure I would be able to tell if the meds are doing this or just normal for me at the moment. But given the fact that I do struggle to maintain a healthy weight (12st currently, 5'5), I am hoping I will have some weight loss, and then one thing can combat another over time. Obviously, if you feel the extreme side effects, then it’s best to change to the injection type maybe. In England, so meds cost covered, phew! I will update as I go. Good luck to all."

• Pro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2022

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Male, 59. I've been on Jardiance for 1 month, and numbers went down 40 pts first day. My numbers are stable at 150, and I lost 14 lbs. I do get light-headed, but that's it. Can't say I pee more, but love losing weight. I'm at a weight that I haven't seen in over 30 yrs. Make sure you eat right."

• Red...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I took the 25-unit pill for two days and had a very bad reaction to it. Incredible thirst, near-constant urination, upset stomach, and diarrhea, lightheadedness. It did bring down my blood sugar for a few hours, but didn't last long. Can't recommend."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 20, 2018

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Been on Jardiance for 7 weeks, cannot satisfy my thirst, always craving a drink. Then pee pee ongoing. Having to get up 3 times in the night for the toilet. Some days feeling lethargic and lightheaded. Plus point is being overweight I have lost 1 stone mainly around my waist in 6 weeks, so a quick fix weight loss for me. I will run with this with my side effects as long as the numbers reduce in levels and weight. The pee pee and waking me up is annoying."

• Jui...
• May 21, 2019

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Initially, I was taking metformin for type 2 diabetes but couldn't stomach it. I was nauseous and started vomiting. I was taken off that, and now I've been on Jardiance for a week at a dose of 10 mg once a day. I am very spooked by the reviews and more than likely will request to be switched to metformin extended release, hoping I can stomach that. The only side effect I have so far is being constantly lightheaded. I tried to work out with it, and I ended up having to sit every few minutes from being lightheaded, so I am stopping the Jardiance for now. My starting blood sugar was about 280 and is now 180-200 fasting. I haven't weighed myself because it's not the reason I'm taking it. My main focus now is coming off blood sugar medication as a whole. But that is all for now. The lightheadedness sucks. It's better than nausea and vomiting, but it still sucks. If any changes, I'll share more."

• Joe...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 14, 2022

Empagliflozin "I was on this for about 2 weeks, following a heart attack, started feeling light-headed, like I was about to pass out, not funny when driving! Pains and numbness in my legs and ankles, I did not like this drug one bit! Stopped it for 3 days now and feel great! Look up the side effects (by the way, my pharmacy had the leaflet removed from the packet of pills, was it so I wouldn't see the side effects?) Side effects are bad to horrendous for most people, with genital gangrene a real possibility! FDA, get your act together and withdraw this drug now!"

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "I managed my diabetes really well and was on insulin throughout my pregnancy. I was praised by the doctors during this time for my control, but now everything is going crazy. Fourteen months on, and my blood results keep going up, so my diabetes nurse suggested this. I was made aware of several side effects. The thrush is an absolute killer. I have had it constantly for the last three months. I have literally called to request a phone appointment today, as it is really getting me down now. I have lost weight and seen a reduction in my levels, but I'm really not happy right now. I feel tired all the time, I get lightheaded and very thirsty sometimes. I am only 36 with a 14-month-old, and I can't carry on like this. I need to be able to look after her. I also work nights, so I don't know if that is contributing to anything. I'm guessing it's time to try something else..."

• Red...
• August 27, 2015

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "Ok. Lost a little weight over the two months. But experienced lightheadedness, fatigue, irritability, and shakiness."

• Hif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2018

Empagliflozin for Type 2 Diabetes "I had all side effects. Dizzy, lethargic, hard to focus, lightheadedness. Wasn’t worth the potential benefits, only took it for one week."