Hi everyone, I've been taking 15mg pioglitazone one a day, and Metformin 750mg 3 a day for three months now. I've started to feel very tired and easily get out of breath doing the simplest thing. My appetite has increased along with my weight, and I keep having hypos,I feel really down at the moment and wish I didn't need this extra tablet. Can anyone advise please
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Pioglitazone
- Thread starter Nannymau
- Start Date
Daibell
Master
Hi. The glitazones are know to cause some increase in weight due to a level of water retention. Metformin usually helps reduce weight by reducing appetite. I'm not a doctor and it's not for me to tell you what drugs to take, but you might want to discuss with your GP the option of taking Sitagliptin (Januvia) instead of Pioglitazone. My GP offered me either one to add to my Metformin and Gliclazide and I chose Sitagliptin as it has no effect on weight and overall I judged it to have some, but fewer, side effects. I can't comment on your tiredness etc and there may be a good reason why your GP chose the glitazone for you. As far as I know both Pioglitazone and Sitagliptin don't add to the risk of hypos, so I think a discussion with your GP is needed.
Unbeliever
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,551
Daibell said:Hi. The glitazones are know to cause some increase in weight due to a level of water retention. Metformin usually helps reduce weight by reducing appetite. I'm not a doctor and it's not for me to tell you what drugs to take, but you might want to discuss with your GP the option of taking Sitagliptin (Januvia) instead of Pioglitazone. My GP offered me either one to add to my Metformin and Gliclazide and I chose Sitagliptin as it has no effect on weight and overall I judged it to have some, but fewer, side effects. I can't comment on your tiredness etc and there may be a good reason why your GP chose the glitazone for you. As far as I know both Pioglitazone and Sitagliptin don't add to the risk of hypos, so I think a discussion with your GP is needed.
As always I totally agree with Daibell. It may just be a case that your Dr is not familiar with sitagliptin which I also take and which doesn't seem to have any side effects for me.
I refused pioglitazone because it is a "cousin" of rosiglitazone which had many serious side effecs for many people and which , although I only tool it for a few months is thought to have caused my macular oedema.
I suffered shortness of breath and iredness with rosiglitazone and it caused swelling around my upper abdomen.
It is worth going back to your Dr with your symptoms and menioning the possibility of sitagliptin . Your Dr may not even have considered it as at one ime , it had to be prescribed by a consultant but this is no longer the case. Good luck.
