Drug Name

Actos (Pioglitazone)

Drug Uses

Actos is used for the treatment of type II diabetes along with a wholesome diabetic diet, normal exercise, weight control, smoking reduction, as well as careful monitoring of blood glucose.

Actos may be used alone or in combination with metformin, a drug in a dissimilar class of anti-diabetic drugs, that as well as lowers blood glucose.

Actos is approved for treating type II diabetes in combination with insulin as well as another class of anti-diabetic drugs, the sulfonylureas.

How Taken

Actos is prescribed once daily in doses ranging from 15 to 45 mg. It may be used any time of the day, with or without meals.

Drug Class as well as Mechanism

Actos is a drug that reduces the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood. It is in a class of anti-diabetic drugs, called "thiazolidinediones", that are used in the treatment of type II diabetes.

Actos as well as lowers the level of glucose in the blood by reducing the production as well as secretion of glucose into the blood by the liver. In addition, actos may alter the blood concentrations of lipids (fats) in the blood. Specifically, it decreases triglycerides as well as increases the "good" (HDL) cholesterol.

Missed Dose

Incase a dose is missed on one day, two doses should not be used the next day to make up for the missed dose.

Storage

Store this medicine at room temperature between 15-30 degrees C (59-86 degrees F).

Warnings/Precautions

Do not halt using this medicine or other diabetes medicine without earliest checking with your doctor.

Check with your doctor before adjusting the dose of your diabetes medicine or changing your diet.

Incase you are using this medicine with other diabetes medicine, you are at an increased risk of becoming hypoglycemic (low blood sugar).Discuss with your doctor or nurse how to handle hypoglycemic reactions.

Keep all doctor as well as laboratory appointments while you are using this medicine. Laboratory and/or health examination tests such as liver function tests as well as HBA1C blood levels may be done to monitor your progress or to check for side effects.

Before you possess any health examination or dental treatments, emergency care, or surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are using this medicine.

Before you start using any recent medicine, either prescription or over-the-counter, check with your doctor or pharmacist. For women using birth control pills: this medicine may decrease the effectiveness of your birth control pill. To halt pregnancy, take an additional form of birth control.

For women: this medicine may increase your chance of pregnancy by causing ovulation to resume in premenopausal women who possess not been ovulating. Incase you plan on becoming pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits as well as risks of using this medicine during pregnancy.

Do not breast-feed while using this medicine.

Likely Side Effects

The most ordinary side effects seen in clinical trials with Actos were

• upper respiratory tract infection, headache, sinusitis, muscle aches, tooth disorders, hypoglycemia, as well as sore throat.

In addition, fluid accumulation (edema) occurred in less than 5% of patients using actos alone but 15% of patients using Actos as well as insulin (as compared with 2% as well as 7% of patients receiving placebo, respectively). Fluid accumulation can lead to heart failure.

To date, no formal studies to evaluate drug interactions of actos with other drugs possess been conducted. Nevertheless, because it interacts with the liver enzymes that eliminate some other drugs, there is the potential for actos to increase the elimination of such drugs as erythromycin, calcium channel blockers (e.g., Cardizem), cisapride (Propulsid), corticosteroids, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, triazolam (e.g., Halcion), trimetrexate, as well as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (e.g., Lipitor).

Since another thiazolidinedione antidiabetic drug has been associated with liver injury, it is recommended that periodic monitoring of liver-related side effects as well as liver function be done in patients using actos.

Side effects while using Actos which may be due to liver injury include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, anorexia (loss of appetite), or not light urine. Blood liver tests as well as are recommended during actos therapy.

More Information

Follow the dietary as well as exercise plan, provided by your doctor.

Carry an identification card at all times that says you are diabetic.

Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly according to your doctor's directions. Incase your blood sugar level is often higher or lower than it should be as well as you are using this medicine according to directions, check with your doctor.

Do not share this medicine with others for whom it was not prescribed.

Do not take this medicine for other health conditions. Keep this product out of the reach of children. Incase using this medicine for an extended period of time, obtain refills before your supply runs out.