{"id":628884,"date":"2024-07-09T10:24:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-09T14:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=628884"},"modified":"2025-10-20T11:32:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T15:32:53","slug":"does-jardiance-cause-weight-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/does-jardiance-cause-weight-gain\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Jardiance cause weight gain?"},"content":{"rendered":"

People with <\/span>Type 2 diabetes<\/span><\/a> often have difficulty controlling their blood sugar levels, even with dietary changes and regular exercise. <\/span>Jardiance<\/span><\/a> (empagliflozin) is an oral medication that can help people with Type 2 diabetes maintain lower blood glucose levels, which not only aids in their overall diabetes management but can also <\/span>lower their risk of cardiovascular disease<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels are <\/span>associated with weight gain<\/span><\/a>. By lowering your blood sugar, Jardiance can promote weight loss in some people with Type 2 diabetes. It generally does not cause weight gain, but some people have reported gaining weight after they stop taking Jardiance. We talked to experts to find out how likely this is, as well as what else you should know about weight changes while taking Jardiance.<\/span><\/p>\n

How does Jardiance affect weight?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Jardiance is a type of medication called a <\/span>sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor<\/span><\/a>. It <\/span>lowers blood glucose levels<\/span><\/a> by preventing glucose from being reabsorbed in the body and increasing the amount of glucose excreted in the urine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause Jardiance works in the kidneys, it doesn\u2019t have much effect on appetite or digestion,\u201d explains <\/span>Laura Morris, MD<\/span><\/a>, family medicine physician at University of Missouri Health Care. Still, many people taking Jardiance report experiencing a small amount of <\/span>weight loss<\/span><\/a>, probably because the amount of glucose excreted each day while taking Jardiance translates to about 300 fewer calories per day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also more common to experience this weight loss soon after starting Jardiance because of the initial increase in loss of fluids,\u201d says <\/span>Erin Palinski-Wade<\/span><\/a>, a New Jersey-based dietitian and author of <\/span>2 Day Diabetes Diet<\/span><\/i>. However, even a modest weight loss isn\u2019t guaranteed on Jardiance. \u201cIf a person eats beyond their caloric needs, they may see little to no weight loss,\u201d Palinski-Wade adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weight gain after stopping Jardiance<\/span><\/h2>\n

In general, you shouldn\u2019t expect to regain weight you\u2019ve lost while taking Jardiance if you end up discontinuing the drug, since it doesn\u2019t directly impact appetite or digestion. \u201cIt also isn\u2019t associated with large amounts of weight loss in most people,\u201d Dr. Morris says. Therefore, it\u2019s not common for people to noticeably gain weight after stopping the drug.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you do gain weight after stopping Jardiance, it may not actually be related to the drug. Some people with Type 2 diabetes require multiple medications to control their glucose levels, which could include older classes of <\/span>diabetes medications that are known to cause weight gain<\/span><\/a>, like insulin, thiazolidinediones, and sulfonylureas. Dr. Morris says that it can be difficult to know which medications are truly causing your side effects when you\u2019re taking a combination of drugs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to consider your caloric intake when you stop taking Jardiance. Your body is getting rid of a small number of extra calories per day through your urine when you\u2019re on this medication, and Palinski-Wade says that an excess intake of dietary calories can slowly lead to mild weight gain once you\u2019re no longer excreting those extra calories in your urine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other Jardiance side effects<\/span><\/h2>\n

Like all prescription drugs, Jardiance carries the risk of some side effects. The most common side effects you may experience when taking Jardiance include:<\/span><\/p>\n