Does Invokana cause weight loss? This question may come across your mind since type 2 diabetes sufferers who are overweight are prescribed this medicine. Possibly, people will consider consuming this medicine in order to help them lose some excessive weight.
But, don’t grab them at all costs before reading the following discussion. This post unveils looming facts regarding Invokana that you might not know yet.
What Invokana Really Is?
With the advancement of medicine, there are many kinds of treatments for type 2 diabetes available in the market. One of the popular drugs that was taken by many patients is Invokana. Invokana contains active drug canagliflozin which is a group of drugs of sodium-glucose transport protein 2 (SGLT) inhibitors.
Invokana was produced in the form of a tablet. This medication is often prescribed by doctors to treat type 2 diabetes in adults. This drug helps manage blood sugar levels, supported by a balanced diet and exercise. Moreover, it also reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases as well as complications from diabetic nephropathy.
Although the usage of Invokana has been legalized and can be used as a long-term treatment, it does not come without risks. Invokana can cause mild to serious side effects for the patients who consume it. The mild and serious side effects can vary depending on several factors mentioned below:
- age;
- previous health conditions; and
- other medications you take.
Your doctor and pharmacist could tell you the other potential effects in detail. They also can suggest several ways to help you reduce the side effects. The side effects are relatively common for every drug, but the responses for every patient’s body can be different.
The mild side effects of Invokana can disappear within several days to weeks. It could be bothersome, but the mild side effects are mostly still manageable. On the other hand, serious side effects of Invokana can occur, but it is not common. If you have a related emergency condition, you should call your doctor.
With the increased number of people who took Invokana as a type 2 diabetes treatment, there are also other popular questions on “ Does Invokana cause weight loss?”. This question will be explained in the next session below.
Decrypting the Answer to Does Invokana Cause Weight Loss Question
When you read this session, the question mentioned must have come to your mind. Following research about Invokana, it is found that this drug, indeed, can cause weight loss in patients. However, this drug is not approved as a weight loss medication. How does it come? Here are some points of view.
1. How Does Invokana Cause Weight Loss?
As has been stated above, Invokana is a drug made from SGLT2 inhibitors. Every drug under this class of prescription is approved by the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration). This kind of drug aims mainly to lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes if it is combined with proper diet and exercise.
Invokana will lower your sugar blood levels by removing glucose excess or sugar through urination. Therefore, the calories will be removed from your body through your urine. This process is what exactly causes a little bit of weight loss.
It is important to keep in mind that Invokana is not prescribed as a weight loss medication. Instead, the weight loss effect is the side effect of its main purpose. It is highly not advisable to take Invokana as a weight loss medication or for other purposes before consulting your doctor.
2. What Did the Research Tell?
Canagliflozin, as the generic form of Invokana, comes in 100 mg and 300 mg doses. In some studies, people who have taken it experienced weight loss. Additionally, patients lost a bit more weight when they took on the 300 mg dose or higher.
One of the studies conveyed that people who took the 300 mg dose of Invokana along with other diabetes medication lost about 6 – 9 pounds over 26 weeks of treatment. Later, within a year, people who took the same dose in combination with Metformin lost a bit more than 10 pounds.
Moreover, it was also revealed that people who took the 100 mg dose of Invokana with Metformin lost nine pounds within a year. Realizing this side effect, the doctor prescribed Invokana for people with type 2 diabetes who are overweight.
3. The Other Side of Does Invokana Cause Weight Loss
Following the study that conveys the side effects of weight loss above, there’s a possibility that Invokana can be developed as a weight loss drug. The amounts of weight lost may vary due to the diverse variables.
However, following more recent studies, it is found that people who lost weight on the diabetes drug have their appetite increased proportionately. This research shows that people who were given Invokana could eat and drink without any restrictions during the study.
Later, these people experienced a gradual decrease in body weight of about 8 – 9 pounds because of urinary glucose excretion. Later, these people consumed about 50 calories per day more than they were eating before this study.
4. Faulty Claims of the Advertising
The question “ Does Invokana cause weight loss? ” did not exist by itself. It was created by the manufacturers to promote fault claims that Invokana can help people with weight loss. The manufacturers even spent a good deal of money around $101.2 to advertise the drug.
In fact, in 2015, the drug was able to make $1.3 billion in sales for Johnson & Johnson (the manufacturer of Invokana). Moreover, the studies found that Invokana is related to the side effects of higher risks of experiencing bone fractures, diabetic ketoacidosis, kidney problems, and low blood sugar.
This is not the first time Johnson & Johnson has been sued because of allegedly illegal marketing. Once, they got investigated by The Department of Justice for their antipsychotic drug Risperdal which ended up with the company paying $2.2 billion.
Find Your Way to Lose Your Weight Healthily Without Invokana Consumption!
The commotion on “ Does Invokana cause weight loss? ” sometimes can turn into something dangerous for health. Many overweight people indeed fight to lose more weight. Some of them even try diabetes treatment drugs whose main purpose is not weight loss and, instead, can harm them.
For those who are overweight, it would be better if you could be more focused on positive lifestyle changes. For example, improving nutrition, better sleep, and gentle exercise. It is important to remember, that while you may get your desired ideal weight by taking those drugs, devastating repercussions can last for years.
