What are your experiences with Actos?

[kwiltsnthings]

Hi,

I was put on 15 mg. of Actos yesterday and was wondering what is happening with others who are on this drug?
I had read about it in the past and never wanted to be put on it but nothing is helping my BG levels.
They literally went up 200 points overnight with no explanation.

Had extensive testing and the only thing besides my BG levels that were high were the liver enzymes.
Cholesterol and triglycerides were great. That surprised me.

Guess I have been reading too much about the side effects of this drug.

So, please, if anyone has any input into this it would very much be appreciated.

Am sick of my heart pounding out of my chest.

Judy

[Handybear]

I started out last year on Avandia but was switched to Actos 30mg. I noticed no change or any difference in my bg. I was taken off Actos in December since I have managed my bg numbers very tightly. (14 day average is 91). Didn't seem to have any adverse effect from the drug while I was on it. I was told to just watch for any sudden weight gain or swelling in the ankles. None of that happened.

Good Luck

[LoDeSp]

I was on 15 mg Actos for about six months. I couldn't tell that it did anything for me -- my BG levels were about the same and I didn't notice any side effects. Since I've stopped taking it, there's been no change in my BG levels. YMMV.

[BlueSky]

.... nothing is helping my BG levels.
They literally went up 200 points overnight with no explanation.

Had extensive testing and the only thing besides my BG levels that were high were the liver enzymes.
Cholesterol and triglycerides were great. ....
Whatever is causing the high liver enzymes could be causing the sudden increase in blood glucose too. Especially if it is an infection. Or something else that could cause a stress response, like cholesterol medication.

[CaptainMike]

I have been taking it since last March (30mg daily before breakfast) I was put on it at diagnosis and have had pretty good A1C's (under 6%) since June. whether it is the Actos or my diet/exercise changes I can't say for sure. I am thinking about quitting it to see, but am waiting to discuss it with my Dr after my A1C in Feb.
I have not noticed any side effects. I sure was hungry as heck the 1st 3 months or so I was on it though.
Good Luck!
Mike

[Kubilee]

I was on it for the first 3 months after I found out I had Diabetes and as I was reading side effects, it scared me to death.... so my first goal was to get OFF of it. Before taking it, my Cholesterol was great, but after 3 months of taking it, my Colesterol was so high that I was told to take Statins to get that down. I refused to take them (Statin) and decided I could pull it down on my own. When I went back in for my next followup after 6 months, which I was only taking Metformin 850MG 2xs a day, my Cholesterol was back to normal and my BS was great.

He told me one of the side effects is potentially higher Cholesterol....... who knows. I didn't FEEL very good the 3 months I was on it either........ and when after 3 weeks I started begging him to take me off it, I was promised if I got my BS down, he'd take me off, and I did, so he took me off it.

Not everyone has side effects, but I did and so have so many others.

You might want to read this article, it could help you somewhat. Although you may be just one that can take it safely, I wasn't. I must say here in the defense of Actos, I already have a heart problem, so giving me something that has a heart failure side effect probably wasn't so smart. lol

Actos Side Effects Heart Disease & Heart Failure Lawsuit (http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/actos)
The first approved drug in the class, Rezulin, was taken off the market in 2000 after it was linked to dozens of cases of fatal liver disease. Avandia is another drug that is a thiazolidinediones or glitazones.

[kwiltsnthings]

Thanks to all who have replied to my question.
As of yesterday, Thurs., my dr. has taken me off of Actos. I really couldn't be happier about this. The second day and I repeat second day I developed vision disturbances, swelling in hands and heart palpitations that I didn't have before.

Not sure what she will put me on now because I cannot take glipizide XL either. Made me so shaky and had sever mood change plus my BG went very high. Have asked her to increase my metformin but don't know if she will or not.
Am currently taking 500mg. twice a day.

For some reason (overnight, literally) my BG went up.
Have had extensive blood work which showed that my cholesterol and triglycerides are good! The only thing besides BG that was high were my liver enzymes. Had retesting of them on Mon. and they came back good except one was one point elevated.

The only thing different in my life is that I have had several gallbladder like attacks in the last few weeks. Had my gallbladder removed in 1979 and faithfully every one to two yrs. would have the same thing happen that did when I had the attacks. Now these are coming along quite frequently.
Don't know what the answer is.

Will be going back to the Dr. on Mon. to talk about what to do next. Not sure if there are any meds out there that will help anymore. Quite discouraged. I hope she will pursue this attack thing. Just seems awfully coincidental.

Thanks again for listening.

Blessings,
Judy

[Isometric]

I just recently finished tapering off of actos from a dose of 45mg. Before actos, I had been on avandia briefly. The only thing that I noticed while on it was a marked decrease in thirst, which could have been fluid retention. For both drugs, they were added in to, and taken out of, an already established medication regimen, so that was the only thing that I could really isolate and attribute to the actos.

As far as increasing your metformin goes, I believe that the maximum effective dose is double what you are currently on, so if it's helping and you're not getting side effects, I can't imagine your doctor being too stingy about making that change.

[kwiltsnthings]

My Dr. did make the increase with the metformin on Mon. Hope to see some changes soon. She did blood work to make sure kidneys and things were ok. Got the call this evening that blood work was fine.
She did say that there is a possibility that I am developing pancreatitis.
She never came right out and said it this could be what made my liver enzymes go up or not. This last test showed that they had returned to normal in 2 wks.
The attacks that I had coincided with the blood sugar going up and the liver enzymes going up.
It is all just very confusing right now.
Want this blood sugar to come down.

Judy

[frednouri]

May be I was one of the lucky ones, but I was on Actos for 2 years, and I was in control of my B/G levels. I was taken off of Actos in Aug of 07 because of the news, not because it was having a side effect. My B/G started going up, usually above 200! I am also on Januvia. I di dnot have any bad reaction to Actos, no weight gain, water retention, swelling, nothing.

[Doulton]

I am on day two of Actos, 30 mg each day.

I am very nervous and upset about this new drug. I feel that my bg has spun out of control in spite of a low-carb diet and exercise.

I am overweight already. About 70 pounds overweight in my opinion, although I could be anywhere from 40-90 pounds overweight depending on which charts one looks at.

I am on:
Metformin 1000 mg 2 x day
Levemir 60 mg at night; 20 mg in am
Symlin: 20 ml two or three times a day
Actos: 30 mg a day.

I've been feeling very desperate about it all. My exercise is improving in terms of duration and speed on the treadmill and I do other forms of exercise as well.

I am eating a moderately low-carb diet -- trying to stay under 100 mg carb/day.

My last Ha1c was 8.9; It had been 5.9 in June of 2007.

I have had a lot of stress and added responsibility enter my life since June. Could that have something to do with it?

I'm at loose ends.

[ladytaz]

Personally, I hate it! I took it for about 8 or 9 months. I gained a bunch of weight. All the weight I'd lost, and probably more! I can't say that it helped my numbers any. I don't know if that was attributed to my eating, or the med. I was also taking Metformin and Glipizide, at that time. Most of my reasoning for going off of it, was the cost. I've no insurance and $130 a month, with no clear indication that it was actually helping me, was just a tad expensive! Then just after I got off it (with NO changes in my BG's, except, I think they actually dropped a little!) I read about all the bad side effects it has. With heart troubles in my family (my dad has 11 stints in his arteries, and has had heart/blood pressure issues since his 30's - he's now in his late 60's), thought I've only just recently started dealing with High BP my self, I decided that I'd NEVER take it ever again! Nor, any Avandia products either! I'm convinced that Avandia (specifically, Avandamet) nearly killed my father! (He's T2 as well).

I do realize that some people have done well with Actos and Avandia. Which is great for them. I, though, won't touch it with a ten foot pole!

I advise anyone taking either med, or variation of it, to keep a close watch for weight gain and/or water retention and if you have heart issues or it's in your family, to keep a very close watch on that!

[john4tvs]

I know that a lot of folks to real well on Actos, and my experience is only anecdotal. But here it is, for what it's worth.

My DR. put me on 15mg daily at first diagnosis in June of 2005. About a month later I had gained weight and my knees started to hurt when climbing stairs and riding bicycle. That left me with only walking for excersize. Can't do much of that in the dead of winter.

I met a woman at my office that used a walker to get around, and she also was on Actos for her Type 2. Last spring I passed her in the elevator and she was not using the walker. She said that about a month earlier she was taken off of Actos and placed on some new medication, and inhaled insulin or something. Said that she was loosing weight and never felt better.

I have been off of Actos for about a month and my knees don't seem to bother me as much. Even when it's cold and raining. I haven't noticed any weight loss yet, as I really stopped monitoring my diet and BG altogether over the holidays. But I definately feel better about climbing stairs.

Now for the New Years resolution to be more attentive to my health! Just ordered a copy of "The Diabetes Diet: Dr. Bernstein's Low-Carbohydrate Solution."

[angshan]

I was on 45mg for about a year. it did nothing for me and my levels didnt change at all when I stopped taking it.

[nanabowlin1]

I was on Actos for several months -- the swelling in my legs was terrible and painful. I took myself off it and told the doctor I wasn't taking it any more. He put me on Byetta. Hubby has taken it for several years, has swollen ankles but doesn't worry about it. I don't want to take anything that causes swelling or pain.

[Harold]

Metformin and Actos both act on the liver. Sulfonylureas act on the pancreas. In light of what you have told us, have you and your doctor considered insulin.

[DIABETESBYDRUGS]

Same Here...nothing And Swollen

[labob]

Guess I'm lucky. I've been taking 15mg of Actos daily for almost two years with no swelling or other side effects. I have much better control on Actos than I did on Glyburide (a sulfonylurea), both in terms of avoiding hypos (if dipping in the 60s, which happened to me pretty often on Glyburide, can be considered a hypo) and in keeping post-meal spikes down. So for me, Actos seems to be a pretty decent choice, but of course your mileage may vary.

[Ronman]

Some of these postings are pretty scary. I was recently put on Merformin by my doctor and when I didn't tolerate it well, he switched me to Actos. When I went to pick up the prescription and saw how expensive it was, I declined it thinking I would just have to bite the bullet and try to adjust my BG through dietary efforts. Now after reading some of these horror stories, I am glad I took that route.