Januvia Joint Pain | A Disabling Side Effect

Januvia Joint Pain | A Disabling Side Effect

Do your fingers ever hurt? What about your knees and hips? People often blame arthritis on age. But drugs can do trigger it too. Januvia joint pain is real.

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2018/10/22/januvia-joint-pain-a-disabling-side-effect/

Sitagliptin (Januvia) is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been on the market for more than a decade. It belongs in a class of drugs called gliptins or DPP-4 inhibitors. These meds enable the body to make more insulin. More insulin equals lower blood glucose levels. This should help people better control their type 2 diabetes. Doctors have been enthusiastic about prescribing gliptins because they have been perceived as very safe drugs. But this reader of our syndicated newspaper column has reported Januvia joint pain. There is even an FDA warning about just such a side effect.
Januvia Joint Pain Can Be Devastating:

Q. I have type 2 diabetes and took Januvia for six weeks. I had severe muscle and joint pain and terrible nausea. I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning because this medicine made me feel like I was dying. I stopped taking it and wonder how else I can control my blood sugar.
Warning About Januvia Joint Pain:

A. Many years after gliptins were introduced the Food and Drug Administration discovered an unexpected complication. In 2015 the FDA warned about severe and disabling joint pain associated with alogliptin (Nesina, Vipidia) sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza) and linagliptin (Tradjenta). The agency describes its discovery this way.

“…we identified cases of severe joint pain associated with the use of DPP-4 inhibitors. Patients started having symptoms from 1 day to years after they started taking a DPP-4 inhibitor. After the patients discontinued the DPP-4 inhibitor medicine, their symptoms were relieved, usually in less than a month. Some patients developed severe joint pain again when they restarted the same medicine or another DPP-4 inhibitor.”

FDAs List of DPP-4 Inhibitors:

Januvia
Janumet
Janumet XR
Onglyza
Kombiglyze XR

Tradjenta
Jentadueto
Nesina
Kazano
Oseni

Januvia Joint Pain is Not the Only Problem:

Other side effects to be aware of with gliptins include pancreatitis. This is REALLY SERIOUS! Any abdominal pain requires immediate medical attention. Let your doctor know if you experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Other adverse reactions include flu-like symptoms and skin reactions. Notify your physician if you develop a rash or painful skin. If you develop shortness of breath climbing stairs, ask your doctor to test your for congestive heart failure. Have her monitor kidney and liver function periodically.

Many people tolerate gliptins without experiencing any side effects. That’s good news for them. But if you discover that your joints are working like they used to, please do not assume it is just an age thing. Here is another story from a visitor to this website. You can read more at this link.
Tony in Daly City shared this story:

“Thank God for this site. I am experiencing severe leg and joint pain. I asked my Doctor about Januvia which I take with glipizide. He said it doesn’t cause joint pain. After reading other comments on this website I realized that my medicine might be causing my pain. Hopefully the pain will go away after stopping Januvia. It’s debilitating.

“I’ve only taken Januvia for several months. It did not bother me at first, but now I’m suffering pain and stiffness everyday. It wakes me up at night. Prolonged standing causes it to get worse. I’ve had my knees checked for arthritis. The test was negative. Junuvia is a problem!”

I do feel sorry for people whose drugs instead of helping can make things worse …

I recall Graham putting this post up which mentioned Januvia back in 2015

"Januvia, a product of global pharmaceutical giant Merck & Company, took a different approach. Instead of working on cellular receptors, it prevented the action of a certain enzyme involved in how the body produces and utilizes glucose. Revenues from Januvia grossed the company $4 billion a year (and that was less than a tenth of Merck’s total revenue that year). Unfortunately, that particular enzyme also helps in the formation of cancerous tumors, as was discovered when some patients started developing cancer of the pancreas."

see here
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-sick-care-system-strikes-again-with.html

All the best Jan

Thanks Jan I'd forgot about that post on the blog 

Unfortunately due to the lucrative diabetes drug market Januvia and all other new drugs are being rushed through trials hence belated FDA warnings coming long after they've approved for use, and it's the public who end up being guinea pigs 

Latest FDA warning:  

FDA Adds Heart Failure Warning to Januvia and Janumet

https://diatribe.org/fda-adds-heart-failure-warning-januvia-and-janumet

Oh yes I remember when this first came out a lot of concern about all the other things DPP-4 was involved in. I think cancer was the most feared theoretical concern but turned out not to be as likely as hypothesised, and other things went wrong instead.

Looks possible the FDA could relax the rules on new diabetes drug trials 

Is the Food and Drug Administration going easier on drug companies? The next two days could provide some clues.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2018/10/24/fda-experts-may-reconsider-diabetes-drug-safety-rules/#3455e17776d7

Anything to keep up the sales of carbs. Produce more antidotes.