Generic Name: Actos (pioglitazone)
Actos Reviews
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I took this medicine for around a month and a half and it did nothing for my sugar levels. It caused a 15-pound weight gain. I stopped taking it after reading the serious side effects it can cause. Why take something that is going to make me worse off than I already am?"
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Took Actos prescribed by VA doctor. Now, because of this, I have got stage 4 bladder cancer. It took 4 years and 36 treatments to get in remission. Actos is banned in some countries except USA. Yet the VA still prescribes it. Someone must be getting kickbacks, either the FDA or VA, in my opinion."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I am 66 years old and have been on Actos for over five years, taking 45mg. Lately, I have experienced shortness of breath, swelling of ankles and feet, weight gain, anemia, and fatigue. My primary physician ordered an echocardiogram and a lung function test, and they both indicated my heart and lungs were fine. The doctor attributed the issues to my taking Actos and immediately took me off the medication. He replaced it with Tradjenta (5mg) and asked me to monitor my blood sugar levels three times a day during the transition. I have been off Actos for 24 hours and feel better already. I know that sounds impossible, but I believe it may have been the cause of my recent health issues."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I was on Actos a couple of months. My sugar levels improved just slightly, but I also put on about 12 pounds within that time frame. I had a bit of hair loss and had terrible swelling of my feet and legs, which I didn’t normally have an issue with. I was not thrilled about starting this to begin with because of the awful side effects (a big list of them), but my doctor wanted me to try it! Too many serious side effects for me! I just had her switch me to Glipizide. Too many meds to try without going through all of that and being miserable. Please research it if you are thinking about trying it!"
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Took 30 mg Actos for 8 or so months, was very happy with it at first. It did lower my numbers, but... I had so many bad side effects. Weight gain, chronic fatigue, swelling, urgent need to urinate, watery eyes, and pain. I could barely get up my steps. I stopped taking this medicine myself, and I feel as if I have been raised from the dead."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I was on this pill for about 2 years, gained about 40 pounds, and also had really bad muscle pain. I took myself off of it, so far have lost close to 20 pounds, and muscles are feeling so much better. These pills the doctors give me freak me out. All the side effects are so bad."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I have been taking Actos for 5 years. Recently, the cardiologist diagnosed me with heart failure. My EF is 30%. Two weeks ago, I stopped taking Actos, and my fasting blood test is 125, the same reading as when I was taking Actos."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Actos has worked well for me for 10 years, and now comes FDA with another cancer scare. Anything can induce cancer, and the scientific data on Actos causing cancer does not have that much credibility with me."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I've been taking 30 mg of Actos per day for 3 years. In that time, I have gained 55 lbs, and I have had problems with my feet, ankles, and lower legs swelling. I would have stopped taking this medication a long time ago, but I was blaming the water retention and weight gain on menopause. Now that I stopped taking Actos, I lost 4 lbs in 2 days."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "When I was initially diagnosed, my doctor put me on Metformin, which just ripped my stomach to bits. He prescribed Actos in October, and I had really good luck with it until around Christmastime - I started having horrible sinus problems and nosebleeds. We dropped to a 15 mg dose, but still no change with the sinus issues. I went off it altogether and all the symptoms disappeared. It was never our long-term plan to keep me on Actos because of the cardiac implications, but it did the job we needed it to do; I went from fasting 400-504 BG readings down to fasting readings of 110-115."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I was on Actos for nine months. At first it controlled my blood sugar well, but then I started to have blood sugar lows in the 40s, gained 28 pounds eating 1200 calories a day, swelling of feet and lower legs, and finally short-term memory loss. Got a second opinion on the drug. Stopped it and all symptoms ceased within one week. I have lost 12 of the 28 pounds. I have lost 50 before this drug. I am now on glipizide and metformin. My blood sugar is a little higher but I feel so much better. I took a difficult college class and got an A, so I know my brain is functioning better."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I have been taking Actos since Nov and had great results at first, and now it seems like it doesn't work at all, even after taking an additional pill with evening meals. Blood sugar readings are the same with or without it."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I have been taking Actos 15 mg for about a month now, no ill effects like I feared. I keep watch for edema and so far nothing. My insurance would not cover the Januvia I used to be on - and for me Actos works better. My numbers are normal now (90-140) and they were high normal on the Januvia. I would recommend this medicine to people who cannot afford the DDP-4 (Januvia class) drugs."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I was taking 30 mg of Actos daily, and for the two weeks after I seriously started taking it, I had dull throbbing headaches to full-blown migraines non-stop! About 2 weeks into taking it, I developed a dull pain in my kidney area. Thinking it was a kidney infection, I went to my doctor's. We found out that it was muscle soreness...one of the common side effects. I also gained weight. As soon as I stopped taking it, the headaches stopped, and the muscle pain is going away."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I have been on Actos for almost a year. I gained 24 pounds and have swelling in my hands and feet and am retaining a lot of water in my thighs. My sugar levels are good. My doctor lowered my dosage from 30 mg to 15 mg but refused to take me off. I will get a second opinion because the side effects are too much."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "My doctor started me on 30 mg when I was diagnosed 13 months ago. I jog, hike, and lift weights and was experiencing lows quite frequently, so my doctor and I decided to reduce my dosage to 15 mg. The lower dosage works great for me. My lows are more predictable and are not as frequent. Offsetting the lows temporarily is easily accomplished with food or juice. I have not experienced any swelling, nor any side effects that I am aware of other than the occasional lows (80s). I think this is due to the low dosage, regular exercise, my diuretics for high blood pressure, and watching what I eat carefully. I am very satisfied thus far with Actos."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "My doctor put me on Actos 6 months ago. I noticed swelling of legs and feet. The joints in my arms are aching daily. I also had a 23-pound weight gain and noticed headaches. But it has brought my sugar levels back under control. I didn't know about the particular side effects. I am going to talk to my doctor about them and see if I can get a replacement."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I have been taking Actos 30 mg since a year ago, and my sugar level went down, but not enough. Then my doctor changed it to 45 mg. It's great for my sugar level, but my legs, feet, and ankles cannot handle it, there is too much swelling."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Actos 15 mg and Metformin 850 mg work for me for almost 3 months now. Before, I had FBS of 185 and 225 after meals. Now, almost every day I prick, I get around 90 and 100 before and after meals. Better to take these meds before breakfast."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I started on Actos about six weeks ago. I was given a free supply by my doctor, but no mention of any side effects. When the free supply ran out, I filled the prescription. A list of serious side effects was included with the prescription. One mentioned swelling of the feet and ankles, which is what I was experiencing. I stopped taking this drug, and now the swelling is going down slowly."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I started taking Actos 45 about 8 weeks ago. It lowered my sugar dramatically. I take it with glyburide/metformin. My sugar is running from 57 to 65 when I wake. This causes lightheadedness and blurred vision. The other side effects are greatly enlarged legs and feet. The water retention is alarming. My doctor lowered it to Actos 30. See what happens. This may not be the drug for me."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "Been using Actos 15 mg with Metformin (2x1000) for several years now. Most of the side effects listed have not been a factor for me. I do have some swelling of the lower legs and ankles, but that was pre-existing. I have not noticed any difference since I have been on this medication."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I have been taking this drug for one month, and I feel so much better, and my sugar is in control. I noticed that my digestive problems mostly disappeared when I started taking this drug. My IBS is much better. The swelling and bloating in my abdomen have reduced greatly. So far, I have not had any noticeable side effects. I take 15 mg daily."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I used this drug for about 8 months and lost 3 teeth at the rear of my mouth, due to tooth decay. Then found out that tooth decay is a side effect in some people. Stopped taking it about 2 years ago and no more tooth problems."
For Diabetes, Type 2 "I took Actos 45 mg for about 2 years and had swelling in my legs and muscle pain as side effects. Actos did bring my HbA1C down to 5.9, so it was great for blood sugar control, but the side effects just got to be too much to handle. I tried switching to glucophage during that time but could not tolerate it due to stomach problems. My doctor is now switching me to glipizide, and we'll see how that goes."
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