Is anyone taking this and if so did it help?
Farxiga: Is anyone taking this and if so... - Early CKD Support
Farxiga
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gojets
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The answer is a big YES for my husband. Just did labs today. He started Farxiga in September. A1c was down to 6.8. That's the lowest it has EVER been since diagnosed. Was running around 7.5 for the last year. His GFR went from 38...stage 3... to 56....yes 56.
He is now stage 2. All his other labs were greatly improved. Only change was the Farxiga and no more metformin. He is also now using less insulin. Win win!
Thanks for the info and great news I don’t have any problem with diabetes or any other problems just my creatine is a little higher than normal I went to a nephrologist and he wasn’t concerned with it at allBut I’m staying on top of all the information I can get
Bloody heck .. that's a result!! Hi btw!
Hey you, Skeptix...how you doing?
Up and down. I was hoping for an eGFR improvement after months (coming up to a year in a few months in fact - time flies whether you're having fun or not!) of close attention to diet. eGFR seems to have halted - which in itself is no bad thing - although it's too short a time period to really tell. Most of the time I put kidneys out of my mind but it lurks there in the background and does, I think, act as a bit of a drag on mood/outlook. I never thought of age, having a good "battery" and a "with it" approach to life. But the fact of kidneys tends to add to the sense of the bits falling off (sight, memory and everything else in decline)
I love your way of looking at things and always enjoy your posts. Attitude is everything. MY GFR stuck at 13 for a long time. Thought of it as a good thing. Changed up by adding exercise and I think that was what brought the change. Who knows how long it will last? My nephrologist always paints a dark and gloomy picture. I get day now and then when I just crawl up and cry, especially when the scale doesn't move, and the weight doesn't change. They will not even think of a transplant for me until I lose more weight. Can't get anyone to understand that I am "given her all she's got" (Star Trek) and nothing is working. My brother, who is two years older than I am, keeps telling me we are going to live to 100 years old. Not so sure of that. But I like the attitude.
Acceptance is probably a lot to do with it. You're kind of toddling along in life, the years passing but nothing perceptible happening. Then you find yourself in your late 50's with a serious health issue and your knocked for six. You can't live forever, decline is normal, get used to the idea!
Maybe that's why I'm better on here than not - listening to others going through the same (or often times worse) struggles normalises the fact that life can be tough. A good cry would probably help but aside from getting drunk (which I tend not to anymore) I haven't a handy way to turn on the taps!
Anyway, best wishes from this side of the pond.
It sucks for sure to get old. But, for me, this has been the best time of my life ever. I get up most mornings when I want and do what I want. There is little pressure to be somewhere at a certain time unless I choose the activity and then I am excited about going. It isn't that I hated working. I hated the "had to do it" thinking. I also got up at 5:30am for the last 20 years of work. I do not have to worry about idiots I work with. I do not have to drive in blinding snowstorms because we ALWAYS had to be there. My superior did not believe in working from home. Yes, my body is giving me a lot of struggles and my diet is ridiculously restrictive. NO booze, no crap to eat, no baking. But in exchange, I am not on dialysis, which will change everything.
Keep the hope and faith.
That's a very positive way of looking at it. Now if only I won the lotto so that I could focus on something other than earning a living...
Ive been on Farxiga for four months and my gfr rose 5 points. so far so good.
Another one who's been given a script for this drug. Just reading around on it first. Anyone any of the side effects?
Key things to remember. the drug is NOT recommended for anyone with Type 1 diabetes. It is sometimes prescribed for such patients but only with more advanced CKD. And it is not for anyone on dialysis. Second to be considered is cost. Farxiga costs $742.98 per 30, 10MG Tablet. So say a person is at Stage 2, or stage 3a, is it that beneficial to obtain what some have reported to be a 5 point improvement on their egfr? But of course if someone is seeing a more rapid than usual decline in egfr that is a different situation. But if a kidney doctor is telling you there is nothing to worry about, it is not anywhere near the time to even consider such a drug, at such a cost, and with side effects. For example if your eyesight declines slightly, and normally, due to age, you don't consider eventual blindness.
It's "only" about 10% of that cost here in Ireland - I gather there's massive profittaking in the US on drugs.
At eGFR 28 last bloods so, even if I don't fancy spending €72 a month and don't fancy risking side effects, it's probably worth a punt...
CAREFUL!! Here is a quote from the Farxiga website and the flyer that comes with the medication. It is NOT recommended for those with an egfr less than 30:"Use of FARXIGA is not recommended when the eGFR is less than 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) and Use in Specific Populations (8.6)]. FARXIGA is contraindicated in patients with an eGFR less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 [see Contraindications (4)]."
I'll check that out, thanks.
Every cloud has a silver lining though:
"Certain uncircumcised men may have swelling of the penis"
Link to a comprehensive info sheet (but apparently this only a highlights!).
den8dhaj6zs0e.cloudfront.ne...
The warnings about sub 45 eGFR appears to relate to folk who also have diabetes II (which I, fortunately, do not).
It seems okay to initiate treatment once you're above eGFR 25 and you can continue it even if dropping below eGFR 25.
This is one of those info sheets that is best read during the course of a nice hot bath.
Farxiga/Forxiga
Interesting. It seems to be saying if your Egfr was above 25 and you were taking the drug, it is okay to continue it (10mg daily) even when your egfr drops below 25. But if you are already below 25 egfr do not START to take the drug.
Yeah, don't quite understand that myself.
The studies specific to Farxiga were not preformed on a large number of CKD only patients WITHOUT diabetes. Therefore, the concern with lower eGFR levels. The studies for Jardiance which I linked somewhere here in a specific topic heading, did include over 6000 CKD patients and found benefits for SGLT2 drugs (and relatively low risk) to lower eGFR levels. Additionally because this was an expedited approval for CKD only patients there was some debate as to whether FDA approval would be granted for the lower eGFR levels without specific data on more than 119 patients. I expect Jardiance to be approved this summer or fall and the concern about the lower eGFR levels to go away within the next year or two. Based on the other studies I have read on PubMed and the FDA site. Links provided if needed.
