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Drug side effects

canagliflozin Side Effects

The reactions most often reported to the FDA for canagliflozin (also sold as Invokana), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.

Data updated 2026-05-15

29,554
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2011 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.

The most commonly reported side effects of canagliflozin come from 29,554 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 29,554 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for canagliflozin (Invokana): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.

Total Reports

29,554

Reports Mentioning Death

678

2.3% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

10,619

35.9% of reports

Top Indication

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS
3,421
TOE AMPUTATION
2,195
OSTEOMYELITIS
2,163
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY
1,990
FUNGAL INFECTION
1,446
WEIGHT DECREASED
1,340
BLOOD GLUCOSE INCREASED
1,227
GANGRENE
1,084
CELLULITIS
1,035
URINARY TRACT INFECTION
1,016
NAUSEA
997
DIZZINESS
839
DIABETIC FOOT INFECTION
834
LEG AMPUTATION
792
DIABETIC FOOT
788
DIARRHOEA
770
DEHYDRATION
725
RENAL FAILURE
710

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 12,723 (49%)
Male 13,356 (51%)
Unknown 47

Age Distribution

0-17 870 (5%)
18-44 2,011 (12%)
45-64 9,573 (55%)
65-74 3,463 (20%)
75+ 1,438 (8%)

Reporting Trend by Year

11
12
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15
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19
20
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25

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 678 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 235
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 80
DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS 65
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION 38
SEPSIS 30
CARDIAC ARREST 27
RENAL FAILURE 27
HYPOTENSION 23
LEG AMPUTATION 22
PNEUMONIA 22
URINARY TRACT INFECTION 22
WEIGHT DECREASED 22
DECREASED APPETITE 20
DIARRHOEA 20
OSTEOMYELITIS 20
DEHYDRATION 19
FATIGUE 19
SEPTIC SHOCK 19
TOE AMPUTATION 19

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 10,619 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS 2,850
OSTEOMYELITIS 1,816
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 1,680
TOE AMPUTATION 1,649
GANGRENE 956
CELLULITIS 906
DIABETIC FOOT INFECTION 756
LEG AMPUTATION 668
DIABETIC FOOT 664
SEPSIS 543
FOOT AMPUTATION 491
DEHYDRATION 398
SKIN ULCER 387
URINARY TRACT INFECTION 358
METABOLIC ACIDOSIS 331
VOMITING 285
NAUSEA 281
KETOACIDOSIS 274
FOURNIER^S GANGRENE 254

Compare canagliflozin vs acarbose →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About canagliflozin Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 29,554 voluntary reports linked to canagliflozin and its brand equivalents (Invokana), spanning 2011 through 2025. Of those, 678 (2.3%) listed death as an outcome and 10,619 (35.9%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 49% were female and 51% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 9,573 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is diabetic ketoacidosis with 3,421 submissions, followed by toe amputation and osteomyelitis.

How to read these numbers

FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.

Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume

Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to canagliflozin's 29,554.