FDA: Type 2 Diabetes Drugs May Lead to Severe Joint Pain

Written By:
Jessie Paluch
Jessie Paluch

Attorney Jessie Paluch, founder of TruLaw, has over 25 years of experience as a personal injury and mass tort attorney, and previously worked as an international tax attorney at Deloitte. Jessie collaborates with attorneys nationwide — enabling her to share reliable, up-to-date legal information with our readers.

This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy and clarity by the team of writers and legal experts at TruLaw and is as accurate as possible. This content should not be taken as legal advice from an attorney. If you would like to learn more about our owner and experienced injury lawyer, Jessie Paluch, you can do so here.

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FDA: Type 2 Diabetes Drugs May Lead to Severe Joint Pain

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors for type 2 diabetes patients have been found to cause severe and debilitating joint pain, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

diabetes drugs joint pain
Table of Contents

What are DPP-4 Inhibitors?

DPP-4 inhibitors like Januvia (sitagliptin), Onglyza (saxagliptin), Tradjenta (linagliptin), and Nesina (alogliptin) are used, along with diet and exercise, to lower blood sugar in adults who suffer from type 2 diabetes.

Incretin, a natural hormone, tells the body to release insulin after eating, which lowers blood sugar.

When the body makes incretin, an enzyme known as DPP-4 removes it from the body in people without diabetes.

But some people with type 2 diabetes do not make enough incretin, so DPP-4 inhibitors are prescribed to help keep blood sugar in a target range that will help avoid low blood sugar and weight gain.

DPP-4 Inhibitors and Joint Pain

The FDA identified 33 cases of severe joint pain in patients taking DPP-4 inhibitors from October 2006 (when the first of the drugs was approved) through December 31, 2013.

According to the FDA, the most frequent problems (28) occurred with Januvia use.

Five were linked with Onglyza, two with Tradjenta, and one with Nesina.

Other side effects linked to DPP-4 inhibitors include:

  • Low blood sugar
  • Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
  • Rash
  • Chills
  • Fever
  • Swelling
  • Heart failure

According to the FDA, patients started having symptoms from the first day up to years after they started taking a DPP-4 inhibitor, but after the patients discontinued use of the medication, their symptoms stopped, usually in one month or less.

Some patients developed severe joint pain again when they restarted the same or another DPP-4 inhibitor.

The FDA does not recommend that patients should stop taking their medications.

They should instead contact their physician if they experience severe and persistent joint pain.

Written By:
Jessie Paluch
Jessie Paluch

Experienced Attorney & Legal SaaS CEO

With over 25 years of legal experience, Jessie is an Illinois lawyer, a CPA, and a mother of three.  She spent the first decade of her career working as an international tax attorney at Deloitte.

In 2009, Jessie co-founded her own law firm with her husband – which has scaled to over 30 employees since its conception.

In 2016, Jessie founded TruLaw, which allows her to collaborate with attorneys and legal experts across the United States on a daily basis. This hypervaluable network of experts is what enables her to share reliable legal information with her readers!

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