 is a prescription medication used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes. Actos belongs to a group of medications called thiazolidinediones. It works by enhancing the natural effect of insulin in the body to lower blood sugar levels. Actos comes in tablet form and is usually taken once a day. Common side effects of Actos include cold-like symptoms, headache, and sinus infection. "Pin It")
Actos Overview
Actos (generic: pioglitazone) is a prescription medication used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes. Actos belongs to a group of medications called thiazolidinediones. It works by enhancing the natural effect of insulin in the body to lower blood sugar levels.
Actos comes in tablet form and is usually taken once a day.
Common side effects of Actos include cold-like symptoms, headache, and sinus infection.
Uses of Actos
Actos is a prescription medicine used with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar (glucose) control in adults with type 2 diabetes. It can be used alone or in combination with other medicines.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Side Effects of Actos
Actos can cause new or worse heart failure (see "Drug Precautions").
- Actos can cause weight gain that may be due to fluid retention or extra body fat. Weight gain due to fluid retention can be a serious condition if you have heart problems.
- Actos can cause liver problems. Your doctor should do blood tests to check your liver before you start taking Actos and during treatment as needed. Call your doctor right away if you have symptoms such as:
- nausea (upset stomach)
- vomiting
- stomach pain
- unusual or unexplained tiredness
- loss of appetite
- dark urine (pee)
- yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes
- Actos can cause diabetic eye disease with swelling in the back of the eye, a condition known as macular edema. Have your eyes checked regularly and tell your doctor right away if you have any changes in your vision.
- Actos can cause fractures (broken bones), usually in the hand, upper arm, or foot in women.
- Low red blood cell count (anemia) has occurred with Actos use.
- If you skip meals while taking Actos, you may get low blood sugar. Lightheadedness, dizziness, shakiness, or hunger may indicate that your blood sugar is too low.
- Ovulation may happen when premenopausal women who do not have regular monthly periods take Actos. This can increase the chance of pregnancy.
Common side effects of Actos include:
- cold-like symptoms (respiratory tract infection)
- headache
- sinus infection
- muscle pain
- tooth disorder
- sore throat
Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. This is not a complete list of Actos side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Actos Interactions
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:
- atorvastatin (Lipitor)
- gemfibrozil (Lopid)
- hormonal contraceptives (birth control pills, patches, rings, implants, and injections)
- insulin or other medications to treat diabetes
- ketoconazole (Nizoral)
- midazolam (Versed)
- nifedipine (Procardia)
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, in Rifamate)
This is not a complete list of Actos drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Actos Precautions
Actos can cause serious side effects, including new or worse heart failure.
- Actos can cause your body to keep extra fluid (fluid retention), which leads to swelling (edema) and weight gain. Extra body fluid can make some heart problems worse or lead to heart failure. Heart failure means your heart does not pump blood well enough.
- If you have severe heart failure, you cannot start Actos.
- If you have heart failure with symptoms (such as shortness of breath or swelling), even if these symptoms are not severe, Actos may not be right for you.
Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following:
- swelling or fluid retention, especially in the ankles or legs.
- shortness of breath or trouble breathing, especially when you lie down.
- an unusually fast increase in weight.
- unusual tiredness.
Actos can have other serious side effects. See "Side Effects".
Do not take Actos if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in Actos.
Actos Food Interactions
Follow dietary (food) recommendations made by your doctor and dietitian which should include a healthy diet. Skipping meals should be avoided as this can cause problems maintaining blood sugar control. There are no specific foods to avoid while using Actos.
Inform MD
Before receiving Actos tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, especially if you:
- have heart failure.
- have type 1 ("juvenile") diabetes or had diabetic ketoacidosis
- have a type of diabetic eye disease called macular edema (swelling of the back of the eye).
- have liver problems
- are pregnant or breastfeeding
- are a premenopausal woman (before the "change of life"), who does not have periods regularly or at all.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Actos and Pregnancy
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Actos should not be used during pregnancy. It is not known if Actos can harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the best way to control your blood glucose levels while pregnant.
Actos may increase your chance of becoming pregnant. Talk to your doctor about birth control choices while taking Actos. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant while taking Actos.
Actos and Lactation
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Actos is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.
Actos Usage
Actos comes as a tablet to be taken by mouth, usually once a day. It can be taken with or without food. Your doctor may prescribe Actos with other diabetes medicines, depending on how well your blood sugar is controlled.
Take Actos at the same time every day. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not take two doses at one time.
The dose of your diabetes medicines may need to be changed if you get sick, develop an infection or fever, experience unusual stress, or are injured (such as in a car accident). These conditions can affect your blood sugar and the amount of Actos you may need. Tell your doctor right away. Do not change your dose without the advice of your doctor.
Stay on your diet and exercise programs and test your blood sugar regularly while taking Actos.
Your doctor should do blood tests before starting Actos and from time to time to check your liver, kidneys, and blood cells.
Your doctor should also do regular blood tests (for example, hemoglobin A1C) to check how well your blood sugar is controlled with Actos.
Your doctor should check your eyes regularly. Some people have had vision changes due to swelling in the back of the eye, called macular edema, while taking Actos.
It may take 2-3 months to see the full effect on your blood sugar level.
Actos Dosage
Take Actos exactly as prescribed. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.
The usual starting dose is 15 mg or 30 mg, taken once daily. The maximum recommended daily dose is 45 mg.
Actos Overdose
If you take too much Actos, call your local Poison Control Center or seek emergency medical attention right away.
Forms of Actos
Actos is available in 15 mg, 30 mg, and 45 mg tablets.
Active Ingredient: pioglitazone hydrochloride
Inactive Ingredients: lactose monohydrate, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose calcium, and magnesium stearate.
Other Requirements
Stay on your diet and exercise programs and test your blood sugar regularly while taking Actos.
Keep all of your appointments with your doctor and laboratory. Your doctor should do blood tests before starting Actos and from time to time to check your liver, kidneys, and blood cells. Your doctor should also do regular blood tests (for example, hemoglobin A1C) to check how well your blood sugar is controlled with Actos. Your doctor should check your eyes regularly. Some people have had vision changes due to swelling in the back of the eye, called macular edema, while taking Actos.
- Store Actos at room temperature in the original container to protect from light.
- Keep the Actos bottle tightly closed and protect from getting wet (away from moisture and humidity).
Keep Actos and all medicines out of the reach of children.
Actos FDA Warning
WARNING: CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE
- Thiazolidinediones, including Actos, cause or exacerbate congestive heart failure in some patients. After initiation of Actos, and after dose increases, observe patients carefully for signs and symptoms of heart failure (including excessive, rapid weight gain, dyspnea, and/or edema). If these signs and symptoms develop, the heart failure should be managed according to the current standards of care. Furthermore, discontinuation or dose reduction of Actos must be considered.
- Actos is not recommended in patients with symptomatic heart failure. Initiation of Actos in patients with established NYHA Class III or IV heart failure is contraindicated
