Ketoacidosis is a risk many diabetes patients may already be familiar with as a complication of type 1 diabetes. But it’s also one of other possible Invokana side effects that can put type 2 patients at risk as well.

What Is Invokana?

• Invokana is a diabetes medication known generically as canagliflozin. The same active ingredient is also used in the drug Invokamet in combination with another diabetes medication called metformin. In combination with diet, exercise and sometimes other medications, Invokana is approved to treat type 2 diabetes. It’s not used to treat type 1 diabetes.
• Invokana is part of a class of diabetes medications known as SGLT2 inhibitors. These medications help keep blood sugar under control by stimulating the kidneys to remove sugar from the blood and then excrete it in the urine.

What Is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?

• Diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition in which the blood is made too acidic due to a high level of compounds called ketones. When cells can’t get enough energy from blood sugar, they begin to metabolize fat instead. This fat metabolism is what generates ketones which are then deposited in the bloodstream.
• Ketoacidosis can be a drug side effect of Invokana.
• High levels of blood sugar are typical of diabetic ketoacidosis. A lack of insulin, which normally stimulates cells to absorb sugar from the blood, can leave an excess of sugar in the bloodstream.
• Diabetic ketoacidosis requires immediate medical attention. Elevated blood acidity puts the patient’s life at risk.
• Typically, diabetic ketoacidosis occurs in type 1 diabetes patients. So it’s not typical when it happens as a drug side effect of Invokana, since Invokana is only used to treat type 2 diabetes.
• Ketoacidosis related to Invokana side effects is not typical this way, since it tends to happen in patients with type 2 diabetes.
• In a Drug Safety Communication issued in December 2015, the FDA announced the agency would add a warning to the label for Invokana, alerting doctors and patients to the fact that Invokana side effects can include diabetic ketoacidosis.

Ketoacidosis Symptoms

• One distinct symptom of ketoacidosis is a fruity odor on the breath. This results from ketones escaping the body by being exhaled.
• Other common first symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis include excessive thirst and urination, rapid breathing, fatigue, nausea, vomiting and weight loss.
• Blood tests will reveal whether the patient has elevated levels of ketones and acidity.
• If not treated promptly and properly, ketoacidosis can quickly lead to coma or death.

Who Has a Claim?

• Patients who suffered diabetic ketoacidosis after treating type 2 diabetes with Invokana may have grounds to bring an Invokana lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturers because of Invokana side effects.
• Pharmaceutical companies may be held responsible for harm to the patients if they fail to adequately warn them and their doctors about risks like Invokana side effects.
• A successful Invokana lawsuit may compensate the plaintiff for concrete losses like medical bills and lost wages, as well as for less tangible harm like pain, suffering, and damage to close personal relationships.
• Attorneys are available to review individual patients’ situations and determine whether they have grounds for an Invokana lawsuit.