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ACTOS/Pioglitazone

Plockton

Plockton

Active Member
Messages
25
Location
South Wales
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Hello there,

Have any of you good people out there had any nasty side effects from taking Actos tablets? :?

Have been on it for a short while now and as I have been experiencing some rather unpleasant feelings of late, wonder if they could be down to this tablet.
 
Side effects of Actos.

Side-effects


gastro-intestinal disturbances, weight gain, oedema, anaemia, headache, visual disturbances, dizziness, arthralgia, hypoaesthesia, haematuria, impotence; less commonly hypoglycaemia, fatigue, insomnia, vertigo, sweating, altered blood lipids, proteinuria ( source BNF )
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on actos for coming upto 2 weeks and had a headache nearly everyday and the ocassional stomach pain both very mild though but I am gliclizide aswell. Not had any of the worrying swelling of the ankles etc that some report or impotence :lol:
 
been on actos for 2 years, no real probs, until i was put on 45mg a couple of months ago. Have recently been having a few stomach aches, nothing serious, just more annoying than anything, particularly as it works its way from the front to the back....Have found Actimel seems to work(Tho it could just be psychological, but as long as i THINK it works, it works! lol)
 
Thanks for your replies.

I ask because I've been on it for a couple of months now and have had problems with frequent 'hypos' and slight dizzy spells and weight gain. Last week at work, I had a 'funny turn' - felt really dizzy and had a hard job making it to the nearest chair without falling over. When I did finally reach the chair, I had to hang on in there for some minutes before I felt I could move without falling over. Really gave me a scare. Someone gave me a chocolate - someone else made me tea with sugar and I took a Glucotab. I was sent home from work - where I tested my BM's which were around 5.8 - not too low - (which could have been the chocolate/glucotab/tea) but not before they chey checked my bp, which was 198/96. The strange thing is that on feeling a bit dizzy the week previous to that, I tested my bp which was a good 135/79 at that time. (I might add I work in the surgery hence the rapid response with the bp machine!!)

Would a 'hypo' (if that;s what it was) cause a rise in bp like that?

I have not taken the Actos since Wednesday - just in case - as I'm seeing the gp on Tuesday to see if we can sort out what the problem is.

It certainly gave me a bit of a fright - I'm not usually one to worry - but I felt so dreadful at the time. Had a headache for the rest of that day and for the next couple of days. But otherwise OK. Did have a hypo on Saturday, which I feel was not expected - in that It hadn't been that long since breakfast, with no physical efforts on my part, etc. etc., so came right out of the blue. As I hadn't taken Actos since the Wednesday, I was even more surprised it happened.

Any suggestions?
 
Are you on any other medication even non diabetic related ?

When you say you had a hypo,what blood sugar level did you have at that time ?
 
Hi, Su -

Am currently on Metformin MR 1000mg twice daily
Gliclazide 80mg - TWO Twice Daily
Pravastatin 10mg at night
Irbesartan 150mg daily
Aspirin 75mg daily

Then added to this was the Pioglitazone 15mg daily

BMs around the time of the 'hypo' was 3.8
 
agree with the irbesartin, thats what im on, and its pants, imo......when i was on ramipril my bps were fine, its just the side effects knocked me for six, but irb doesnt seem to be as effective
 
Thanks again,

Didn't consider s/e from Irbesartan.

Have an appt with gp tomorrow, so will see what she says.
 
Saw my GP today - and she was at a loss as to what caused my 'funny turn' last week. :?

She agreed with me that it could have been side effects from the Actos and for the time being I'm not to take it - just to stick with the Metformin and Gliclazide. My recent HBA1C was 6.5 and she was really pleased (as was I). If I can keep my levels as they currently are, then I'll be quite happy. Whether that will be the case, given that I am stopping the Actos, remains to be seen.

Gave me another issue of test strips and advised that if my levels started creeping up I should return to her and she would give me a different tablet to try! Perhaps also I can now manage to lose some weight instead of trying hard but achieving only more weight gain! :)
 
Plockton said:
Saw my GP today - and she was at a loss as to what caused my 'funny turn' last week. :?

She agreed with me that it could have been side effects from the Actos and for the time being I'm not to take it - just to stick with the Metformin and Gliclazide. My recent HBA1C was 6.5 and she was really pleased (as was I). If I can keep my levels as they currently are, then I'll be quite happy. Whether that will be the case, given that I am stopping the Actos, remains to be seen.

Gave me another issue of test strips and advised that if my levels started creeping up I should return to her and she would give me a different tablet to try! Perhaps also I can now manage to lose some weight instead of trying hard but achieving only more weight gain! :)
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It seems that you shouldn't worry if your HbA1c creeps up a little, as a Nursing Times article published today shows that an HbA1c of 7.5% is safer than one of 6.5%!
 
hi all,
i just got a prescription for Actos today, to add to my Metformin and levemir. I've read nothing but horror stories about this drug, including weight gain (yes I know the heart failure etc are more serious!!) and weight loss is what its supposed to help me with.
Has anyone used this medication with good success and minimal side effects? I've had to cut down the metformin because of the gastric problems and am not keen to go through that again. I've had a rotten 3 or 4 months for one reason or another and am fairly confident that now that I've started back with my usual amount of exercise and diet control, the numbers will drop. Not inclined to go through finding out how bad Actos might be, but maybe the horror stories are actually extreme minorities?
Love to hear other opinions.
cheers
bruce
 
I have had large weight gain recently and not changed diet. 6lb in a WEEK still getting headaches daily. Doctors on 25th but think I will need to stop it before then.

I normally tolerate drugs well been allot through my last few years but so far most diabetes ones are makin me ill in some way :|
 
thanks for that, can't seem to find anything reassuring! I managed to get a message from my old doctor in Australia (I'm an Aussie living in Germany) and he said that while congestive heart failure and the like are fairly uncommon, weight gain is an almost certainty with this drug. I've decided not to take it, the better I control my weight the better my readings are so apart from any other risks, this is more or less giving up on any lifestyle change and sinking deeper into dependence on medication. I'll give it a couple of months of exercise and diet before I consider another change, especially as current readings are all reasonable.
THanks for answering my post, hope the headaches improve REALLY quickly.
 
rainbow fish said:
hi all,
i just got a prescription for Actos today, to add to my Metformin and levemir. I've read nothing but horror stories about this drug, including weight gain (yes I know the heart failure etc are more serious!!) and weight loss is what its supposed to help me with.
Has anyone used this medication with good success and minimal side effects? I've had to cut down the metformin because of the gastric problems and am not keen to go through that again. I've had a rotten 3 or 4 months for one reason or another and am fairly confident that now that I've started back with my usual amount of exercise and diet control, the numbers will drop. Not inclined to go through finding out how bad Actos might be, but maybe the horror stories are actually extreme minorities?
Love to hear other opinions.
cheers
bruce
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Well, Roziglitazone has just been BANNED in The EU & research released today, shows that death rates for those taking Pioglitazone (the same family of drugs) are THE SAME as for those who take Roziglitazone! So it is extremely likely that Pioglitazone will be withdrawn too.

I already had heart failure symptoms before being put on Pioglitazone, but my fluid retention problems have multiplied about threefold in the ten months since I started takling it, affecting my lower legs, feet, wrists, face & almost certainly my internal abdominal tissues & organs. I am supposed to see an Endocrinologist every two months about my Addison's Disease & Diabetes; the last appointment I attended was in November 2009. Attempts by me to secure another appointment have so far been ignored, so I have unilaterally decided to STOP my Pioglitazone tablets as from today, increase my insulin dosage & monitor my BG levels for any change. :roll:

Update 25 November 2010: I have asked to transfer to a another Endocrinologist at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton. I have no confidence in the team at Weston-super-Mare, regarding my Addison's Disease. Yes I know Addison's is extremely rare (1 in 100,000), but they are meant to know all about it as they are meant to be the "experts"; it seems that my current Endo. doesn't have much of a clue! :(
 
I felt awful while taking Actos, very exhausted and very hungry no matter how much I ate. I gained somewhere in the region of 3 stone in the 6 months I took it. I eventually went back to the clinic and told them how vile I felt and the nurse agreed I should stop.
 
Stopped taking mine after my ankles recently started to get huge. Got an appointment on 9th to try and get victoza again and get off my 6 daily tablets that are ruining my daily life.

Added with the heart scares of actos and the fact that my bs is still the same even without the actos it isnt worth it for me.
 
What type of metformin did you have - the slow release is the better type to get on with and will aid weight loss. You can get a slight headache and stomach pains to begin with but this is short lived and gradually you adjust.

Hope this helps
Sue :D
 
Can identify with those who who have suffered unpleasant side-effects. I tried to persevere with Actos but had to kick it into touch, they made me feel miserable. I'm on one 850 SR Met twice a day and x2 Glics in the morning. Been on this regime for a while and it seems to work ok for me but, those Actos pills were the pits.
 
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