Home » Blog Posts » Sodium Glucose CoTransporter 2 Inhibitors: Invokana, Jardiance, Farxiga Good or Bad?
The Good:
There is a new type of oral hypoglycemic agent for Type 2 Diabetic patients: Sodium Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors. These medications work in a novel way. Glucose is excreted from the body through the kidneys but the kidneys try to re-absorb the glucose back into the bloodstream using this sodium glucose co-transporter 2 system; that is, this system reabsorbs 90% of the glucose back into the bloodstream from the kidney tubules. If your glucose levels are elevated due to diabetes, this can continue to cause problems with getting your glucose levels down to normal and preventing you from developing diabetes complications. These drugs work by inhibiting this system, and blocking those transporters from being able to work, so the glucose in the kidneys goes out with the urine. As a result, this medication helps people lose weight, which is helpful because other diabetes medications, like sulphonylureas or insulin, in general tend to put more weight on the body.
There is a new type of oral hypoglycemic agent for Type 2 Diabetic patients: Sodium Glucose Transporter 2 Inhibitors. These medications work in a novel way. Glucose is excreted from the body through the kidneys but the kidneys try to re-absorb the glucose back into the bloodstream using this sodium glucose co-transporter 2 system; that is, this system reabsorbs 90% of the glucose back into the bloodstream from the kidney tubules. If your glucose levels are elevated due to diabetes, this can continue to cause problems with getting your glucose levels down to normal and preventing you from developing diabetes complications. These drugs work by inhibiting this system, and blocking those transporters from being able to work, so the glucose in the kidneys goes out with the urine. As a result, this medication helps people lose weight, which is helpful because other diabetes medications, like sulphonylureas or insulin, in general tend to put more weight on the body.
The Bad:
So, what are the side effects–all medications have them, right? Well, yes, these medications can indeed cause some problems. They can cause bladder infections, vaginal yeast infections in women, and penile yeast infections in men. They can cause yeast to overgrow in the mouth, which is called “thrush”. They can cause a lot of water loss, which can cause dehydration, and also lower the blood pressure, so this medication needs to be dosed carefully in patients already on high blood pressure medicine. They should not be used specifically with patients on digoxin. Also, there have been two studies showing that although glucose levels increase in the urine with these medications, they also caused increased glucose production in the body and increased production of glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone made in the pancreatic alpha cells (insulin is made in the beta cells), and it signals the liver to product more glucose. That’s not very helpful! There are also concerns that these medications can injure the kidneys over time, but with them being new we ail need to wait to see if kidneys do suffer from them.
The Naturopathic Protocol:
Diabetic medications can be very helpful for patients, but they do not stop progressing of the disease or the develop of complications. They slow down the fire, but do not put it out. Dr. Morstein, owner of AIMS, is one of the preeminent practitioner of diabetes in the naturopathic profession. She is the leading lecturer at medical conferences for this condition, she has created both the “Insulin Intensive Seminar” and the “Diabetes Intensive Seminar”, whereby physicians and medical students learn how to use insulin properly with diabetic patients and also how to comprehensive work with diabetic patients from initial intake, to treatment and follow-up, using naturopathic protocols and, if necessary, standard care medications.
By using low carb diets with wonderful recipes which taste great, exercise therapy, sleep maximization, stress management, detoxification, and supplementation, Dr. Morstein has helped diabetes for the last 20 years lower their glucose levels, lower their A1C, protect themselves from developing complications and reverse complications which had set in. If you have diabetes or know a friend or loved one, please refer them to Dr. Morstein for safe, compassionate, professional and comprehensive diabetic care. Dr. Morstein treats all kinds of diabetes patients–Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, Gestational, and LADA.
– Dr. Mona Morstein