Dapagliflozin/Forxiga

[TonyBen]

Hi all,Together with other heart meds my husband started on this drug around March this year. He has lost around 4/5 kilos, weight he most definitely didn't want or need to lose.

Has anyone else experienced weight loss on this medication?

[DaveTR]

Hi,I'm on Dapaglifozin and not experienced any weight loss.

Best thing to do is contact your GP / Heart Team so they can see what is causing the weight loss.

I lost 10Kg due to an overactive thyroid triggered by withdrawal of a drug called Amiodarone.

[TonyBen in reply to DaveTR]

Thanks Dave, got an appointment for Tuesday to discuss. I just wondered with this being prescribed for diabetes as well heart failure if it had caused any weight loss for others with HF.Having said that I expect that severely limiting animal fats from his diet has probably contributed - he still misses his extra mature cheddar!

[Deejay62]

Hi, when I started taking dapa I lost 1/2 stone. I kept peeing a lot and assumed it was fluid, as I do have severe heart failure

[TonyBen]

Thanks for replying, did your weight stabilize after a while and were you able to regain any? Hospital had discontinued diuretics before starting these new meds, telling him to weigh himself everyday and prescribed a standby diuretic if he suddenly gained a kilo. Needless to say he hasn't needed even one as last six months have shown a steady decrease in weight. Wonderful if overweight I guess but not so much in this instance.. There are all these new drugs about, originally intended to treat diabetes that are now being used for weight loss. Hoping Dapa isn't one of them!

[Deejay62 in reply to TonyBen]

My weight stabilised after that initial loss.

[LindaDaisy]

I lost a few pound when I went on this drug. It’s not a drug used for weight loss but it does make you lose some when you start it. But it didn’t continue.

[TonyBen in reply to LindaDaisy]

Thanks Linda, good to know the weight loss doesn't continue.

[tina7mahal]

Hello I was interested to read what you said about Dapafligozin. My husband has just been prescribed it. He takes Furosemide daily and his weight remains constant. So it will be interesting to see how he reacts to it. He is a bit reluctant to start as everything seems settled with his system /heart at present. Sometimes new meds can cause unwanted changes.

[TonyBen]

They certainly can Tina, dizziness with Entresto hasn't been easy for him either although it does wear off after an hour or so. While the balance of benefits are far outweighing the downsides my husband is happy to keep on taking them and feels lucky I think to be living in an age of great advances in heart meds.

[iCat]

After STEMI LAD in April my husband is on dapagliflozin plus another 11 heart failure meds…. Thank goodness for these as his rEF has improved from 40% to 45-50%, despite similarly he lost weight, more than 5 kg. But considering he is also on so much stricter diet with no cakes/chocolate/red meats/fats (only consumes EVOlive Oil) /salt, it is absolutely normal. What Dapagliflozine does is also supporting kidneys, especially with so many heart meds which are sadly toxic for renal function. Just please take regular blood tests (including eGFR, potassium, electrolytes and for liver function) and look at the diet, adding anything his body needs.

Wishing your husband and you a great health xx

[TonyBen in reply to iCat]

Thanks so much for replying iCat. Knowing there are others having similar experiences and sharing is what makes this forum invaluable.

When my husband first started earlier this year with entresto, eplerenone and forxiga ect, he had frequent blood tests, last being July. Hospital happy with results and next tests not due until end November, where I think they plan to increase Entresto to highest dose. How fortunate to live in a time where such medications are available!

Wishing your husband continued improvement in his heart health journey.