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Empagliflozin

M

missymousey1981

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all

I have had a bad time with my health. I was blue lighted to A&E in October 2024. I had a heart rate of 160! Long story short I came out with 2 new pills lol. Just what I wanted! Not! Anyway now I have been prescribed Empagliflozin which terrifies me. I am on Metformin and Linagliptin. I am scared of UTIs because I lost my beloved father to one of them in 2021. I do need to get my HbA1c down from 74! I am just scared of the flozins
 
Hi @missymousey1981 and welcome to the forum - not my area of expertise at all so I can't offer any tailored advice but I'm sure someone will pop along soon with some help - try not to worry :care:

This is the Diabetes UK Information on Empagliflozin in case you haven't seen it already:

Empagliflozin - Uses, How it Works and Side Effects

Empagliflozin is a type of medication you might need to take if you have type 2 diabetes.
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
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Hi and welcome.

Were you diagnosed with diabetes in October or was that A&E visit for something else? If that was when your diabetes was diagnosed, did you have other symptoms beyond the very fast heart rate? ie Did you have any diabetes symptoms and were you tested for ketones and what was your HbA1c at that time? If you have had a diagnosis of diabetes longer than that, how long?

I think the big question is what sort of dietary and lifestyle changes have you made to try to manage your diabetes beyond taking medication. This is particularly important as medication alone will not usually keep a lid on it and dietary changes can be much more powerful than most oral meds, so if you are apprehensive about taking new medication and your diet can be adjusted, then perhaps that might be a better option to try first.
 
Following with interest as my GP has warned me that once my HbA1c drops below 70 the diabetes team will want me to take a 'flozin. I'm not keen so I'm arming myself with as much information as possible.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi and welcome.

Were you diagnosed with diabetes in October or was that A&E visit for something else? If that was when your diabetes was diagnosed, did you have other symptoms beyond the very fast heart rate? ie Did you have any diabetes symptoms and were you tested for ketones and what was your HbA1c at that time? If you have had a diagnosis of diabetes longer than that, how long?

I think the big question is what sort of dietary and lifestyle changes have you made to try to manage your diabetes beyond taking medication. This is particularly important as medication alone will not usually keep a lid on it and dietary changes can be much more powerful than most oral meds, so if you are apprehensive about taking new medication and your diet can be adjusted, then perhaps that might be a better option to try first.
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I think the OP has had diabetes a number of years @rebrascora

M

Thread 'Newbie'

Hi I have been type 2 diabetic for 13 years now and was stable but now my GP is now adjusting my medications for High BP and my diabetes.
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@missymousey1981 You don’t have to take any medication that you don’t want to. Maybe you could ask exactly why the Empagliflozin has been prescribed, what they’re hoping it will do, and if there are any alternatives. You could also ask about your concerns. They might put your mind at rest.
 
Welcome to the forum. When I had my first appointment with diabetes nurse she said the hcp i had seen had written down " SGLT2 " he had earlier told me how good they were on basis helped cardiovascular health and helped diabetes. She phoned me later and said I would start on metformin. However 4 weeks later metformin was reduced and I started on dapaglifozin. I have high blood pressure and was conscious earlier that year my cousins wife who was a few days younger than me had died of a heart attack as a result of type 2 diabetes. When I went to the funeral I was unaware I too was diabetic. I have been on dapaglifozin for almost 9 months. I was given the opportunity to stop it or one metformin in February. Heart said drop dapaglifozin head said drop metformin. I'm not sure how long ago you were diagnosed as diabetic because you seem to have already been on metformin when empaglifozin was added. It's not clear when linaglipton was added. The hcp told me dapaglifozin would help reduce my bg. By December my hba1c was 44. It was 69 last June and 58 when I was put on dapaglifozin .



I have had uti occasionally in the past but none since dapaglifozin. My only problem was I had been eating between 100 and 120 carbsa day and losing weight but I then got the impression I needed to keep the carbs up. The more carbs I eat the more I want. If the new drug is going to cause you undue stress you need to speak to your doctor or diabetic nurse. In old age particularly if people don't stay hydrated uti can be a problem but you are in your forties. It looks from your description that you went to hospital with a potential heart problem. You need to get proper advice of the benefits and downsides of your medications. Moving more and reducing belly fat definitely helps lower blood glucose.

I know you are taking a diifferent SGLT2 to me but they have similar properties.



Good luck
 
Welcome to the forum @missymousey1981

Sorry to hear about your Dad :( Sound like that must have been quite traumatic :care:

I think starting a new medication often comes with some uncertainty. Have you discussed your feelings about taking a ‘flozin - particularly with the sensitive nature of what happened with your Dad :(

There are other T2 meds which could be offered instead of a ‘flozin, eg a Sulfonylurea.

However - It may help you to understand if there are any additional benefits to ‘flozins that they are hoping you might gain - eg reduced risk of heart trouble?

I think having an open and honest conversation with your GP or Nurse would probably be helpful, so that they can understand your worries, and you can take an informed decision together.
 
Stress isn't good for blood glucose. See if there are things you can do to destress. I cut out things I knew i should and was eating between 100 and 120 gms of carbs. I lost a stone before i went on metformin. Lots of fish some meat and veg, eggs and cheese. Usual breakfast is full fat Greek yoghurt nuts and berries. I now go to aquafit. I feel so relaxed afterwards. Do you have other family members affected by your Dad's death? Maybe counselling or grief counselling would help. You need to have a good conversation with your doctor as to what medication would be best for you. Tell them of the worry and stress you are under including fear of a uti.
 
My renal consultant (?) put me on empagliflozin very many months ago. Because of the fascinating quantity of medications I'm already on, I don't really know whether it has had any significant effect [I'm also on insulin and Mounjaro], but I can't report any side-effects attributable to empagliflozin.
What scares you about flozins, by the way?
 
John Gray said:
My renal consultant (?) put me on empagliflozin very many months ago. Because of the fascinating quantity of medications I'm already on, I don't really know whether it has had any significant effect [I'm also on insulin and Mounjaro], but I can't report any side-effects attributable to empagliflozin.
What scares you about flozins, by the way?
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I am just scared of the UTI.
 
saffron15 said:
Stress isn't good for blood glucose. See if there are things you can do to destress. I cut out things I knew i should and was eating between 100 and 120 gms of carbs. I lost a stone before i went on metformin. Lots of fish some meat and veg, eggs and cheese. Usual breakfast is full fat Greek yoghurt nuts and berries. I now go to aquafit. I feel so relaxed afterwards. Do you have other family members affected by your Dad's death? Maybe counselling or grief counselling would help. You need to have a good conversation with your doctor as to what medication would be best for you. Tell them of the worry and stress you are under including fear of a uti.
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No because our family wasn’t his family. The first Christmas without him I was invited to my half sister’s and I was told today is a happy day and you can’t talk about your dad. She adds to my stress so I don’t talk to her
 
My Dad died many years ago in his eighties three weeks before Christmas. That year Christmas was sad but at the funeral and subsequently we've enjoyed talking about him and remembering him. My sister and I talked about him the first Christmas but were still shocked. How sad to be told not to talk about him.
My best friends mother was found dead beside her bed in her pyjamas. She had had a shower dressed for bed and had a heart attack before getting into bed. Her son found her next day when she failed to come to his house for a meal. It was a few days before Christmas. We all treat grief differently but I like talking about my late parents and grandparents.
I hope you have people who will help you.
 
saffron15 said:
My Dad died many years ago in his eighties three weeks before Christmas. That year Christmas was sad but at the funeral and subsequently we've enjoyed talking about him and remembering him. My sister and I talked about him the first Christmas but were still shocked. How sad to be told not to talk about him.
My best friends mother was found dead beside her bed in her pyjamas. She had had a shower dressed for bed and had a heart attack before getting into bed. Her son found her next day when she failed to come to his house for a meal. It was a few days before Christmas. We all treat grief differently but I like talking about my late parents and grandparents.
I hope you have people who will help you.
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It’s awful even when the death is expected. There’s nothing worse than seeing the empty chair. This Father’s Day was the first time I didn’t cry but instead I found myself laughing at some of the things he did and said over the years.

I know the COVID time was bad but not for me because I got more closer to him. Sometimes I wanted to kill him especially when I would say I am going shopping and I will be back soon. He would ring me asking where I was and I would remind him then 10 minutes later the same.

He got Urosepsis and that is what killed him
 
missymousey1981 said:
I am just scared of the UTI.
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Bear in mind that people are at more risk of UTIs if blood glucose is high anyway and if the medication along with diet helps to reduce blood glucose you may not be at any greater risk. Following the recommendation to drink plenty of fluids 2-3 litres per day will also minimise the risk.
 
Your Dad must have died fairly recently. I remember when my Mum died she had kept a poem which was read at the Queen Mothers Funeral It had been a poem written after the break up with his girlfriend by a Cumbria writer. In the article it was written that the Queen had said " grief is the price we pay for love" It was a year after the Queen Mother had died and we found it in my Mum's bedside drawer. I read it at her funeral. Two other relatives had the poem read at their parents funerals and I used to like reading it if I were sad.
How great that you had such a good connection with your Dad during Covid. It must have improved his life and you have gained many special memories. In other cultures and countries there are timetables of mourning including wearing particular clothes in that first year of often intense grief it is a way of telling friends and strangers you are vulnerable. I'm glad you have reached the point where the happy memories are uppermost. Obviously you would still like to hold his hand but you can be happy.
Recognise you are still stressed. If you are unable to deal with it get advice from your surgery. I still suspect your Dad was in an age group where he was more prone to utis. Your Doctor needs to set out the real benefits to you of the new medicine and how you could notice the start of a uti and how to treat. Unless there are real benefits and you believe you can deal promptly with a uti if it happens then it may not be the medicine for you. The fact I've not had a uti with the medicine is irrelevant because in general terms it is a risk mainly because your pee will have more sugar in it.

Here is the poem. Good luck


She is Gone




You can shed tears that she is gone,

Or you can smile because she has lived



You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back,

Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left



Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her

Or you can be full of the love that you shared



You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday



You can remember her and only that she is gone

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on



You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back

Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.



Written 1981

David Harkins 1959 –
 
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