Forxiga 10: Uses, How It Works, Side Effects
Also in: हिन्दी தமிழ் मराठी తెలుగు ಕನ್ನಡ বাংলা ગુજરાતી മലയാളം ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
Also known as: Forxiga, Forxiga 10 mg, Forxiga 10 tablet, Dapagliflozin 10 mg
Forxiga 10 is a prescription tablet containing 10 mg of dapagliflozin, used to treat type 2 diabetes and, in some adults, long-term heart failure or chronic kidney disease. It belongs to a group called SGLT2 inhibitors, which make the kidneys pass extra sugar in the urine. It is taken only on a doctor's prescription, and a doctor decides whether it suits you. Genital infections and, rarely, ketoacidosis are important risks.
- Active ingredient
- Dapagliflozin 10 mg
- Type of medicine
- SGLT2 inhibitors
- Used for
- Type 2 diabetes
- Starts working in
- Sugar starts to pass in the urine from the first doses; your doctor checks progress with blood and kidney tests over weeks
- Effect lasts
- Works through the day, which is why it is taken once a day
- With or without food
- Can be taken with or without food; follow the label or your doctor's advice
- Alcohol
- Keep alcohol low, as it can lower blood pressure and add to dehydration and ketoacidosis risk; ask your doctor
- Pregnancy
- Avoid in pregnancy and while breastfeeding; tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant
- Habit-forming
- No
- Made by
- AstraZeneca Pharma India Ltd
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
On this page
- What is Forxiga 10 used for?
- How does Forxiga 10 work?
- How to take Forxiga 10
- Side effects of Forxiga 10
- Who should be careful
- Medicines and things that interact with Forxiga 10
- If someone takes too much
- Storage
- Regulatory status in India
- Other brands with the same medicine
- Other strengths and forms
- Common questions
What is Forxiga 10 used for?
Forxiga 10 is a prescription medicine. It is used, on a doctor's advice, for type 2 diabetes and, in some adults, for long-term heart failure or chronic kidney disease.
- Lowering blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes, together with diet and physical activity, alone or with other diabetes medicines
- Treating long-term (chronic) heart failure in adults, when a doctor judges it suitable
- Treating chronic kidney disease in adults, when a doctor judges it suitable
- Not for type 1 diabetes
How does Forxiga 10 work?
Dapagliflozin blocks a protein in the kidneys (SGLT2) that takes sugar back into the blood. With the protein blocked, extra sugar leaves in the urine and blood sugar falls. The medicine also lowers the fluid and pressure load on the heart and kidneys, which helps in heart failure and kidney disease.
What happens in your body after you take it
You swallow the tablet
The tablet dissolves in the gut and dapagliflozin is absorbed into the blood. It can be taken with or without food.
It reaches the kidneys
Dapagliflozin travels in the blood to the kidneys, where blood is filtered into urine.
It blocks sugar re-absorption
In the kidney tubes it blocks the SGLT2 protein, which would normally pull filtered sugar back into the blood.
Sugar and water leave in the urine
Extra sugar, and some water and salt with it, pass out in the urine. Blood sugar falls, and blood pressure and the load on the heart can fall slightly.
The body clears it
The liver breaks dapagliflozin down and the products leave mostly in the urine. One dose a day keeps the effect going.
How to take Forxiga 10
Take Forxiga 10 exactly as your doctor has prescribed or as printed on the pack. Your doctor decides the dose and how long you need it.
- It is usually taken once a day, at about the same time each day.
- It can be taken with or without food. Follow the label or your doctor's advice.
- If you miss a dose, take it when you remember, unless the next dose is less than 12 hours away; then skip the missed one. Do not take two doses together.
- Drink fluids as your doctor advises, and do not stop taking it on your own; talk to your doctor first.
- Your doctor will arrange blood sugar, kidney function and blood pressure checks.
Side effects of Forxiga 10
Most people take dapagliflozin without serious problems. Genital and urinary effects are common, and a few effects need urgent medical help.
Uncommon or mild
- Genital thrush (itching, discharge or redness) in women and men
- Passing urine more often, or a urinary infection
- Back pain
- Dizziness, especially when standing up quickly
- Low blood sugar when taken together with insulin or a sulfonylurea: shaking, sweating, hunger
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Signs of diabetic ketoacidosis (acid in the blood): feeling or being sick, stomach pain, intense thirst, fast breathing, confusion, unusual tiredness or sleepiness, or sweet-smelling breath. Blood sugar may not be very high. Get emergency medical help immediately
- Pain, tenderness, redness or swelling around the genitals or the area between the genitals and anus, with fever or feeling unwell (a rare, serious infection called Fournier's gangrene). Get emergency medical help immediately
- Fever, back pain or pain when passing urine that does not settle (a possible severe urinary or kidney infection)
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing (a severe allergic reaction). Get medical help immediately
- Fainting, or severe dizziness from dehydration or low blood pressure
Who should be careful
Some people need to check with a doctor before taking Forxiga 10, or need extra care while taking it.
When the label says not to use it
- Allergy to dapagliflozin or any ingredient of the tablet
- Type 1 diabetes
- Ketoacidosis: it can occur in type 2 diabetes too, and blood sugar may be only mildly high. Illness, dehydration, not eating, heavy alcohol use, surgery and sudden cuts in insulin raise the risk. Tell your doctor if you think you may have it
- Sick days: vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or not eating can cause dehydration and ketoacidosis. Contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice about your diabetes medicines on those days. Do not stop on your own unless told
- Surgery or a procedure that needs fasting: tell the doctor that you take it, because it may need to be paused beforehand
- Dehydration, low blood pressure, older age, kidney disease, or water tablets (diuretics): you may feel faint or your kidneys may be strained
- Tell your doctor if you often have genital or urinary infections
- Type 1 diabetes: it is not suitable
- Low blood sugar when used with insulin or a sulfonylurea: the doses of those may need to be lowered
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: avoid; tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning a baby or breastfeeding
- Past allergic reaction to dapagliflozin
Medicines and things that interact with Forxiga 10
Forxiga 10 can change how other medicines work, and some medicines change its effect. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies.
- Water tablets (diuretics) such as furosemide, and other blood pressure medicines: blood pressure and body fluid may fall too far
- Insulin and sulfonylurea tablets (such as gliclazide or glimepiride): low blood sugar becomes more likely and doses may need to change
- Lithium: its level in the blood may change, so your doctor may check it
- Alcohol: it can add to dehydration, low blood pressure and ketoacidosis risk
Effects on lab tests
- Kidney function test: checked before and during treatment
- Blood sugar and HbA1c tests: used to check how well the diabetes is controlled
If someone takes too much
Taking one extra tablet by mistake is unlikely to be serious, but larger amounts should be treated as a medical matter. If someone has taken much more than prescribed, call 112 or go to the nearest hospital and take the medicine pack with you.
Storage
Store below 30 C in a dry place, protected from moisture, in the original strip, and out of the reach of children. Do not use after the expiry date. Check the pack for the exact storage instructions.
Regulatory status in India
Approved for sale in India as a prescription medicine. Single-ingredient dapagliflozin is not on the CDSCO list of medicines banned under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Forxiga 10 contains dapagliflozin only.
Other brands with the same medicine
Dapagliflozin 10 mg tablets are sold under other brand names and as generic medicines. They contain the same medicine; check the label for the strength. Some products in the same brand family also contain metformin or other medicines, so do not switch between them without asking your doctor.
Other strengths and forms
Dapagliflozin is sold in different strengths, and in combination tablets with metformin or other diabetes medicines. The strength and contents are printed on the pack and are not the same across products, so check the label of the one you have.
Common questions
Is Forxiga 10 a prescription medicine?
Yes. Dapagliflozin is a prescription-only medicine in India. It should be taken only if a doctor has prescribed it, and it should not be started, stopped or changed without the doctor's advice. Keep taking it as directed even when you feel well.
Is Forxiga 10 only a medicine for sugar (diabetes)?
No. It is used for type 2 diabetes, and in some adults also for long-term heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Your doctor decides which use applies to you. It is not used for type 1 diabetes.
Why does Forxiga 10 cause genital infections?
The medicine makes sugar pass in the urine, and that sugar helps yeast and germs grow around the genitals. Thrush is common and treatable. Tell your doctor about itching, soreness or discharge, and get urgent help for severe pain, swelling or fever.
What is diabetic ketoacidosis?
It is a build-up of acid in the blood. It can happen with dapagliflozin even when blood sugar is not very high. Signs are nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, fast breathing, confusion and unusual tiredness. Get emergency medical help straight away.
What should I do on a sick day with Forxiga 10?
Vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or not eating can cause dehydration and raise the risk of ketoacidosis. Contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice about your diabetes medicines on those days. Do not stop or change it on your own unless you have been told how.
Do I need to stop Forxiga 10 before surgery?
It may need to be paused for a few days before surgery or a procedure that needs fasting. Tell the surgeon and anaesthetist that you take it and follow their instructions. Do not decide this yourself.
Can I take Forxiga 10 during pregnancy?
It is not recommended in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. If you are pregnant, planning a baby or breastfeeding, tell your doctor. Do not stop it without speaking to your doctor, because poorly controlled diabetes is also risky.
What is the difference between Forxiga 10 and dapagliflozin 10 mg?
Forxiga is a brand name, and dapagliflozin is the medicine inside it. Generic dapagliflozin 10 mg tablets contain the same active ingredient. Check the strength and ingredient list on the pack, and ask your doctor before switching products.
Sources
- Forxiga (dapagliflozin): EPAR medicine overview. European Medicines Agency
- Dapagliflozin: a medicine for type 2 diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. NHS (UK)
- Farxiga (dapagliflozin): prescribing information, openFDA record. openFDA, US Food and Drug Administration
- Type 2 diabetes: treatment. NHS (UK)
- List of drugs prohibited for manufacture and sale through gazette notifications under section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)
- National Formulary of India. Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission