Can Diabetic Medications Cause Dehydration ?

Many common diabetic medications can raise your risk of dehydration.

These medications cause dehydration due to the their ability to affect kidney function and electrolyte balance.

Signs of dehydration: Headache, Dry mouth , Lightheadedness

Metformin has the common side effect of upset stomach and diarrhea. If left untreated, persistent diarrhea caused by metformin can lead to dehydration.

Canagliflozin (Invokana) and Empagliflozin (Jardiance) SGLT2 Inhibitors (sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors)

They work by preventing the kidneys from reabsorbing the blood glucose that is being filtered, which causes glucose to be excreted through the urine.

Consequently, high sugar content in the urine also causes frequent urination, which leads to dehydration.