I’m going to flip back to oral diabetes meds to cover a new agent that has recently been approved. It is a new class of diabetes med, but generally means it’s going to be quite expensive. This drug is Invokana (canagliflozin). It basically lowers glucose by causing an increase in excretion of glucose out of the body via means of the kidney/urine. Side effects – you may see an elevation in potassium levels in the body so this should be monitored for as well as kidney function. Because of the mechanism of this drug, an increase in urine glucose can be problematic for infections as bugs(bacteria etc.) tend to like glucose (sugar) – i.e. it helps them grow and flourish…so an increased risk of urinary infections may be possible as well with this med.
New Kid on the Diabetes Block
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Written By Eric Christianson
November 27, 2013
Study Materials For Pharmacists
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No, thank you.
Don’t forget recent studies linking an increased risk of toe amputation with invokana use.