How Rapid is Weight Loss with Farxiga?

Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is basically an anti-diabetic, which is also useful in treating heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Moreover, this drug has recently been identified to help lose weight. For diabetes or heart patients, loss of weight could be an added benefit that leads to improved health status. But how fast does one tend to lose weight with Farxiga, and what should the patients expect?

Understanding Farxiga’s Mechanism of Action

Before going to weight loss specifics, it must be noted as to how Farxiga acts within the body. Farxiga belongs to the class of SGLT-2 inhibitors. These drugs work by blocking a specific protein (sodium-glucose co-transporter 2) within the kidneys that are responsible for the reabsorption of glucose into the bloodstream. With this protein being inhibited, Farxiga produces a failure of the kidneys to reabsorb glucose into the bloodstream, and promotes glucose excretion through urine. It is fundamental to maintain glucose homeostasis for the physiopathological management of type II diabetes.

The mechanism of glucose excretion in the urine also induces calorie loss, so the loss of one gram of glucose in the urine correlates with calorie reduction, bringing in another glimmer of light on weight loss. In addition, SGLT-2 inhibitors such as Farxiga can contribute to volume depletion to some degree, especially early in therapy.

Farxiga is Not Judged as Weightless Drug

Farxiga is certainly not marketed as a weight-loss drug, although its clinical studies have continuously shown that patients on it lose weight over time. In fact, although slight compared with placebo or other diabetes medications, individuals undergoing treatment with Farxiga still managed to lose some weight on average.

In clinical trials, Farxiga-aided patients lost around 2-3% of their baseline body weight after 24 weeks of treatment. For a patient weighing around 200 pounds, this turns into some 4-6 pounds of weight loss. This is not some drastic change, but for those with type 2 diabetes and other chronic co-morbidities, even modest weight loss is essential in controlling blood sugar levels, maintaining good heart health, and easing the stress placed on the kidneys.

What is the Rate of Weight Loss?

Weight loss with Farxiga occurs at different rates for different individuals. Several factors influence how much and how quickly a patient may lose weight, including:

Starting Weight: Heavier individuals may see more noticeable weight loss early on because their bodies are able to shed more weight relative to a person closer to their ideal weight.

Diet and Exercise: While Farxiga alone effectively causes weight loss, it becomes more efficacious in conjunction with a healthy, calorie-controlled diet and regular physical training. Similarly, beneficial lifestyle modifications adopted while on Farxiga may produce a greater drop in weight.

Other Medications: The patient’s use of other diabetes medications, especially insulin or sulfonylureas, that tend to promote weight gain may typically mask the overall weight loss effect exerted by Farxiga.

Fluid Loss: Initial weight loss at the start of Farxiga treatment could be attributed to fluid loss as a result of shedding excess water from the patient’s body; more so, this holds for patients with heart failure or edema. Indeed, it is not uncommon for such an initial weight loss of a few pounds to occur within a few weeks after starting the drug, although it may also plateau.

Duration of Use: Weight loss with Farxiga takes time. Most patients, in general, will experience a steady decline in their weight once they are on the drug over months; on an average, this is 5 to 10% within two years. The patient may stabilize their curve of lost weight after about 12 weeks through adjusting the levels of glucose loss

Clinical Evidence Supporting Weight Loss

In a trial reported in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Farxiga was shown to elicit a weight loss in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 kg (approximately 5.5 to 7.7 lb) in a span of six months depending on the dose used, substantially greater as compared with a placebo. The study further revealed that the weight loss was consistent across different age groups, baseline BMI levels, and gender.

Another trial, the DECLARE-TIMI 58 study, looked at type 2 diabetic patients at a risk of cardiovascular events; it reported an average weight loss of 1.8 kg (around 4 lb) after four months of patients taking Farxiga. However, again as mentioned earlier, substantial weight loss occurs in the first few months, after which stabilization ensues.

Who Benefits the Most from Farxiga-Weight Loss?

Farxiga is an especially efficacious solution for the overweight and obese patients managing either diabetes or heart failure. While the primary aim of the drug is to control blood sugars and reduce risk production of cardiovascular events, the added benefits of weight loss can be paramount to such patients. Since further weight loss in such patients has been known to effect insulin sensitivity, lower their blood pressure, and reduce the likelihood of developing other complications, like hepatic steatosis, even small percentages of weight loss might make a difference.

The diuretic effect of Farxiga could also be beneficial in heart failure patients by reducing hydration in the body thus potentially reducing symptoms such as swelling and shortness of breath.

Conclusion

Farxiga moderately promotes weight loss among patients suffering from diabetes and heart failure. Weight loss would develop within 3-6 months of treatment, but the change may be gradual. However, it is crucial to have realistic expectations; Farxiga does not serve as an easy fix for weight loss. Instead, it helps in weight management when taken in combination with an appropriate diet and physical exercise.

Those seeking rapid weight loss should know that Farxiga alone would not result in dramatic weight loss. CLICK HERE

How Rapid is Weight Loss with Farxiga?