Farxiga vs. Jardiance: What You Should Know

Introduction

If you have type 2 diabetes, your doctor may recommend Farxiga or Jardiance to you. Both drugs are used to help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. They can also reduce the risk of death and heart complications in adults with certain conditions.

Farxiga and Jardiance both come as tablets that you swallow. They’re both brand-name drugs, and there’s no generic version of either medication available.

Keep reading to learn more about how Farxiga and Jardiance compare.

Note: For more information about these drugs, including details about their uses, see the in-depth articles on Farxiga and Jardiance.

FAQs about Farxiga and Jardiance

Get answers to some frequently asked questions about Farxiga and Jardiance.

Are there reasons why Farxiga may be a better treatment option than Jardiance or vice versa?

Whether Farxiga or Jardiance is a better treatment option for you may depend on several factors, including:

• the condition you’re taking the drug to treat
• other conditions you have

Both drugs are used to help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. They’re also used to help prevent certain heart-related complications in adults with certain conditions.

Studies have found both drugs to be effective for these uses. To learn more, see the “How effective are Farxiga and Jardiance?” section below.

If you have questions about how Farxiga and Jardiance compare, talk with your doctor. They’ll help determine if one of these drugs is right for you.

How does Invokana compare with Farxiga and Jardiance?

Invokana (canagliflozin), Farxiga, and Jardiance all belong to the same group of drugs. All three drugs are used to help manage blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. Each drug has additional uses as well.

All three drugs are usually taken once per day in the morning. You can take Farxiga and Jardiance with or without food, but you should take Invokana before eating.

To learn more about how Invokana compares with Farxiga and Jardiance, talk with your doctor.

Can either Farxiga or Jardiance be used for weight loss?

No. Farxiga and Jardiance are not prescribed for weight loss. But it’s possible to lose weight while taking either of these drugs. This is because Farxiga and Jardiance help your body get rid of extra sugar that it usually stores as fat.

If you have type 2 diabetes, losing weight can help manage your blood sugar. It may also lower your risk of certain complications, such as heart disease, nerve damage, and kidney problems.

If you’re interested in learning about treatments for weight loss, talk with your doctor.

What is the cost of Farxiga and Jardiance?

Whether you have health insurance or not, cost may be a factor when you’re considering these drugs. Visit Optum Perks to get price estimates for Farxiga and Jardiance when you use coupons from the site. It’s important to note that Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.

Keep in mind that what you’ll pay for either drug will depend on your treatment plan, your health insurance, and the pharmacy you use.

Farxiga and Jardiance are both brand-name drugs. Currently, there isn’t a generic version of either drug available.

For other resources that might help you save on the price of these drugs, see the cost articles for Farxiga and Jardiance.

Do Farxiga and Jardiance have generic versions?

You may wonder if Farxiga or Jardiance is available as a generic.

A generic drug is an exact copy of the active ingredient in a brand-name medication. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.)

To find out if Farxiga or Jardiance is available as a generic, see the list below.

• Farxiga:
  • Available as a generic: no
  • Active ingredient: dapagliflozin

• Jardiance:
  • Available as a generic: no
  • Active ingredient: empagliflozin

What are Farxiga and Jardiance used for?

Farxiga and Jardiance are both used along with exercise and a balanced diet to manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. Each drug also has some additional uses.

The chart below lists the conditions that each drug treats or helps prevent.

To learn more about taking Farxiga or Jardiance to treat your condition, talk with your doctor.

How do dosage and administration compare for Farxiga and Jardiance?

Below is an overview of the dosage and how you’ll take Farxiga and Jardiance for the conditions they both treat or help prevent. The strengths of each drug are listed in milligrams (mg).

Farxiga is also used to reduce the risk of certain complications in adults with kidney disease, but this use isn’t addressed below. To learn more about the dosages for all conditions these drugs treat or help prevent, see the dosage articles for Farxiga and Jardiance.

Dosage for type 2 diabetes or heart failure

What are the side effects of Farxiga and Jardiance?

It’s possible to have mild or serious side effects when taking Farxiga or Jardiance. And many of them are similar.

For more information about possible side effects, see the side effect articles on Farxiga and Jardiance.

Mild side effects

Farxiga and Jardiance may cause mild side effects in some people. The chart below lists examples of mild side effects that have been reported with these drugs.

* In this article, we use the term “male” to refer to someone’s sex assigned at birth. For information about the difference between sex and gender, see this article.

This chart may not include all mild side effects of these drugs. For more information on mild side effects of the two drugs, see the Farxiga prescribing information and Jardiance prescribing information.

Serious side effects

In addition to the mild side effects described above, serious side effects may occur in people taking Farxiga or Jardiance. See the table below for a list of side effects that have been reported with these drugs.

How effective are Farxiga and Jardiance?

You may want to know whether Farxiga or Jardiance can treat your condition effectively. Keep reading to learn more about their effectiveness.

Both drugs are used to help manage blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. They’re also used to reduce the risk of heart-related complications in adults with heart failure. Studies of Farxiga and Jardiance have found both medications to be effective for these uses.

Each drug also has additional uses. (To learn more, see the “What are Farxiga and Jardiance used for?” section above.) For information about how each drug performed in studies, see the prescribing information for Farxiga and Jardiance.

Additionally, American Diabetes Association guidelines recommend both Farxiga and Jardiance as treatment options for type 2 diabetes in adults.

What are the warnings for Farxiga and Jardiance?

Farxiga and Jardiance may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. These may be referred to as warnings.

The two drugs share some of the same warnings, but they also have different ones. Some of these warnings are mentioned below.

Before taking Farxiga or Jardiance, talk with your doctor if any of the following conditions or health factors apply to you.

• Warnings for both Farxiga and Jardiance:
  • if you’ve had an allergic reaction to either drug or any of its ingredients
  • if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant
  • if you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed
  • if you’ve had a genital yeast infection or a urinary tract infection (UTI) before
  • if you have kidney problems
  • if you take diuretics (water pills)
  • if you have high cholesterol
  • if you use insulin

To learn more about these drugs, see the in-depth articles on Farxiga and Jardiance.

Can I switch between Farxiga and Jardiance?

The short answer: It’s possible.

Details: You can switch between Farxiga and Jardiance, but you may not notice much difference between the two. This is because both drugs have similar side effects and work in the same way.

But if you’re considering switching between Farxiga and Jardiance because your insurance prefers one over the other, switching should not affect your condition.

Reminder: You should not switch drugs or stop your current treatment unless your doctor recommends it. Talk with your doctor if you have questions about switching your medication.

What should I ask my doctor?

If you’re considering Farxiga or Jardiance for type 2 diabetes or heart failure, talk with your doctor. They can help determine whether one of these drugs is right for you.

Examples of questions you may want to ask include:

• Would Farxiga or Jardiance interact with any of the medications I take?
• If my insurance coverage changes, would it be easy to switch from one drug to the other?
• Am I more likely to have side effects from one medication than from the other?

To learn more about Farxiga, see these articles:

• All About Farxiga
• Side Effects of Farxiga: What You Need to Know
• All About Farxiga’s Dosage
• Farxiga and Cost: What You Need to Know

And to learn more about Jardiance, check out these articles:

• All About Jardiance
• Side Effects of Jardiance
• All About Jardiance’s Dosage
• Jardiance and Cost: What You Need to Know

To get information on different conditions and tips for improving your health, subscribe to any of Healthline’s newsletters. You may also want to check out the online communities at Bezzy. It’s a place where people with certain conditions can find support and connect with others.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.