Short answer: Xigduo XR is taken by mouth once daily in the morning with food, swallowed whole. The starting dose depends on current medicines: dapagliflozin 5 mg and metformin extended-release 500 mg for people not already on them, and dapagliflozin 10 mg for the heart failure and kidney uses. The maximum is dapagliflozin 10 mg and metformin 2,000 mg a day. A missed dose is taken as soon as possible, without doubling.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Xigduo XR is approved for: Xigduo XR combines dapagliflozin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, with extended-release metformin. Along with diet and exercise it is approved to improve blood sugar control in adults and children 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes (section 1). In adults with type 2 diabetes the dapagliflozin part also lowers the risk of kidney decline and heart events in chronic kidney disease, heart death and heart failure events in heart failure, and heart failure hospital stays in people with heart disease or several heart risk factors. It is not recommended for type 1 diabetes.
Source
XIGDUO XR (dapagliflozin and metformin HCl extended-release) tablets, for oral use, prescribing information and Medication Guide. AstraZeneca. DailyMed, version published August 26, 2026. DailyMed setid ac8a0f7b-9f69-4495-abbc-3a47cd75a859
Xigduo XR is taken by mouth once daily in the morning with food. Tablets are swallowed whole and never crushed, cut or chewed (section 2.2).
Strengths are dapagliflozin 2.5 mg with metformin 1,000 mg, 5 mg with 500 mg, 5 mg with 1,000 mg, 10 mg with 500 mg, and 10 mg with 1,000 mg (section 3).
Kidney function and fluid status are checked before starting, and fluid loss is corrected first (section 2.1).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Situation | Dosage in Xigduo XR |
|---|---|
| Blood sugar control, not already taking dapagliflozin | Dapagliflozin 5 mg orally once daily |
| Blood sugar control, not already taking metformin HCl extended-release | Metformin HCl extended-release 500 mg orally once daily |
| Heart failure and chronic kidney disease indications (adults) | Dapagliflozin 10 mg orally once daily |
| Maximum recommended daily dosage | Dapagliflozin 10 mg and metformin HCl extended-release 2,000 mg |
The dose is set by the current regimen and may be adjusted for effectiveness and tolerability, with gradual increases to reduce stomach side effects from metformin. People taking an evening dose of extended-release metformin skip their last dose before starting Xigduo XR.
With an eGFR of 45 or above, the dose is the same as with normal kidney function. Starting is not recommended at 30 to 45, and it is contraindicated below 30 and in end-stage kidney disease.
It is stopped at the time of, or before, an iodinated contrast scan with an eGFR below 60, a history of liver disease, alcoholism or heart failure, or intra-arterial contrast. eGFR is rechecked 48 hours after.
It is held for at least 3 days, if possible, before surgery or procedures with long fasting, and restarted once the person is stable and eating and drinking.
Tablets are stored at 20 to 25 C (68 to 77 F), with excursions from 15 to 30 C allowed.
If a dose is missed, it is taken as soon as possible, and the next dose is not doubled. The Medication Guide adds: if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take 2 doses of Xigduo XR at the same time.
More on this: missed a dose of Xigduo XR.
People taking an evening dose of extended-release metformin skip their last dose before starting Xigduo XR, which is taken in the morning.
In Dose Track you set up Xigduo XR as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.