Warning: Your diabetes med could leave you with a bone break

Imagine walking down the stairs for your morning coffee – when suddenly a small misstep or bobble shoots a wave of pain though your body.

The next thing you know, you’re writhing on the ground in agony with a broken hip.

It wasn’t old age that did this to you – and it wasn’t bad luck, either.

It was your diabetes pills!

The FDA has just issued an urgent warning that the diabetes med Invokana could decrease your bone density and even cause painful fractures.

It’s a frightening risk that our government should have seen coming a mile away – and it can happen faster than you’d ever think.

Sticks, stones and Invokana

When Janssen Pharmaceuticals got the FDA to approve Invokana two years ago, the company promised to monitor serious reactions like broken bones until 2023.

You know how this works, right? By the time we all learned just how dangerous Invokana was, Janssen would have made a fortune.

Only it looks like the damage started piling up sooner than anyone imagined.

The FDA has just issued its alert after a new look at clinical trial data found that taking Invokana increases your risk of a bone break. Imagine ending up in a cast – or laid up in traction in a hospital bed – just for trying to control your blood sugar!

According to the FDA, taking Invokana can decrease your bone mineral density, especially in your hip and lower spine.

But here’s the worst part – people on Invokana were reportedly suffering bone breaks after taking the drug for as little as 12 weeks. And your doc expects you to stay on the med for the rest of your life!

And if you’re shocked that a diabetes drug could lead to weakened bones and fractures, well, there are plenty of scientists who aren’t.

Just last year, Dr. Simeon Taylor from the University of Maryland warned in the journal The Lancet that a prescription for SGLT2 inhibitors like Invokana could spell bad news for your bones.

And get this – Dr. Taylor is actually a paid consultant for the drug industry. But he was so horrified by what he found when he crunched the data on Invokana and other SGLT2 inhibitors that he knew he had to warn everyone.

Dr. Taylor found these drugs can trigger a spike in the phosphate levels in your blood. And these excess phosphates cause your body to produce proteins and hormones that cause bone disease.

Even worse, SGLT2 inhibitors can lower your levels of vitamin D.  Considering how vital vitamin D is to bone health, that alone would be enough reason to never take these meds.

But the dangers of SGLT2 inhibitors like Invokana aren’t just limited to bone fractures. That became obvious in May, when the FDA issued another warning about how this entire class of diabetes meds can cause a dangerous condition called ketoacidosis.

That’s a buildup of acids in your blood. And if you don’t get treatment, it can kill you.

The news on these SGLT2 inhibitors isn’t going to get better any time soon. They’ve only been on the market for a couple years, and the list of side effects just seems to keep getting longer.

If you’re taking an SGLT2 inhibitor like Invokana, Invokamet, Farxiga, Xigduo XR, Jardiance or Glyxambi, talk to your doc about making a switch.

Better yet, ask about natural supplements like berberine that have been proven to control your blood sugar just as well as prescription meds.

Remind him that sticks and stones may break your bones – but your diabetes med shouldn’t.

Sources:

“Invokana may increase bone fracture risk: FDA” Parker Brown, September 10, 2015, MedPage Today, medpagetoday.com