What is the most important information I should know about ertugliflozin?
You should not use ertugliflozin if you have severe kidney disease, if you are on dialysis, or if you have diabetic ketoacidosis. Ertugliflozin is not for treating type 1 diabetes.
Taking ertugliflozin can make you dehydrated, which could cause you to feel weak or dizzy (especially when you stand up).
Ertugliflozin can also cause infections in the bladder or genitals (penis or vagina). Call your doctor if you have genital pain or itching, genital odor or discharge, increased urination, pain or burning when you urinate, or blood in your urine.
What is ertugliflozin?
Ertugliflozin is an oral diabetes medicine that helps control blood sugar levels. Ertugliflozin works by helping the kidneys get rid of glucose from your bloodstream.
Ertugliflozin is used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ertugliflozin is not for treating type 1 diabetes.
Ertugliflozin may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking ertugliflozin?
You should not use ertugliflozin if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
- severe kidney disease (or if you are on dialysis); or
- diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).
Tell your doctor if you have ever had:
- liver or kidney disease;
- a bladder infection or urination problems;
- low blood pressure;
- blood circulation problems, especially in your legs;
- nerve damage in your legs;
- a diabetic foot ulcer or amputation;
- heart problems;
- problems with your pancreas, including surgery;
- if you drink alcohol often; or
- if you are on a low salt diet.
Follow your doctor's instructions about using ertugliflozin if you are pregnant. Blood sugar control is very important during pregnancy, and your dose needs may be different during each trimester.
Ertugliflozin may harm an unborn baby if you take the medicine during your second or third trimester. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while using ertugliflozin.
You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
Ertugliflozin is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.
How should I take ertugliflozin?
Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.
You may take ertugliflozin with or without food.
Call your doctor if you are sick with vomiting or diarrhea, if you consume less food or fluid than usual, or if you are sweating more than usual.
Your blood sugar will need to be checked often, and you may also need to test the level of ketones your urine. Ertugliflozin can cause life-threatening ketoacidosis (too much acid in the blood). Even if your blood sugar is normal, contact your doctor if a urine test shows that you have ketones in the urine.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can happen to everyone who has diabetes. Symptoms include headache, hunger, sweating, irritability, dizziness, nausea, fast heart rate, and feeling anxious or shaky. To quickly treat low blood sugar, always keep a fast-acting source of sugar with you such as fruit juice, hard candy, crackers, raisins, or non-diet soda.
Your doctor can prescribe a glucagon emergency injection kit to use in case you have severe hypoglycemia and cannot eat or drink. Be sure your family and close friends know how to give you this injection in an emergency.
Also watch for signs of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) such as increased thirst or urination, blurred vision, headache, and tiredness.
Blood sugar levels can be affected by stress, illness, surgery, exercise, alcohol use, or skipping meals. Ask your doctor before changing your dose or medication schedule.
This medicine can cause unusual results with certain lab tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using ertugliflozin.
Ertugliflozin is only part of a treatment program that may also include diet, exercise, weight control, regular blood sugar testing, and special medical care. Follow your doctor's instructions very closely.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep unused tablets in the foil blister pack in its original container.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next dose. Do not take two doses at one time.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.
What should I avoid while taking ertugliflozin?
Avoid getting up too fast from a sitting or lying position, or you may feel dizzy.
What are the possible side effects of ertugliflozin?
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
- new pain, tenderness, sores, ulcers, or infections in your legs or feet;
- little or no urination;
-
ketoacidosis (too much acid in the blood) --nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, confusion, unusual drowsiness, or trouble breathing;
-
dehydration symptoms --dizziness, weakness, feeling light-headed (like you might pass out);
-
signs of a bladder infection --pain or burning when you urinate, increased urination, blood in your urine, fever, pain in your pelvis or back; or
-
signs of a genital infection (penis or vagina) --pain, burning, itching, rash, redness, odor, or discharge.
Some side effects may be more likely to occur in older adults.
Common side effects may include:
- genital infections; or
- urinating more than usual.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What other drugs will affect ertugliflozin?
When you start or stop taking ertugliflozin, your doctor may need to adjust the doses of any other diabetes medicines you use on a regular basis.
Other drugs may interact with ertugliflozin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.
Where can I get more information?
Your pharmacist can provide more information about ertugliflozin.
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Copyright 1996-2018 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 1.02. Revision date: 2/3/2018.
