Pioglitazone for Diabetes, Type 2 User Reviews

• Gga...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2021

Actos (pioglitazone) "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?"

• Doo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 13, 2019

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Tbe...
• July 3, 2013

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• epi...
• January 25, 2011

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Dee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2021

Actos (pioglitazone) "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!"

• Vic...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 2, 2018

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Plo...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 30, 2015

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Anonymous
• October 24, 2011

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• nos...
• October 16, 2010

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Ros...
• January 14, 2015

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• CWA...
• September 15, 2009

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 15, 2016

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2011

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Anonymous
• March 4, 2008

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Anonymous
• June 9, 2010

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Wid...
• January 2, 2022

"My husband was put on Actos generic by his VA doctor after having problems with his A1C being elevated after becoming inactive. Dose was raised to 30 mg and eventually to 45 mg with some success. After having no history of cardiac problems, he developed CHF and died of a MI (heart attack). Afterwards, I studied the history of this drug, including the fact that it had been taken off the market for the cardiac adverse reactions but then put back on the market. Money and greed of Big Pharma trumps ‘science’, facts, and common sense."

• bjr...
• May 5, 2009

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Nik...
• June 17, 2010

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 14, 2022

"I began taking pioglitazone in March 2021, and within days experienced significant swelling in my legs and feet, as well as consistent weight increases of 3-5 lbs each week. The leg swelling caused mobility and balance issues, and I had 3 falls during the first 4 months, which resulted in permanent damage to my knees requiring medical treatment. Another documented side effect is 'tooth problems' — having not had a cavity in over 35 years, 5 months into the drug a tooth broke (no previous cavity or filling) and was decayed at the center, necessitating a root canal and crown ($1K). I stopped taking the drug after only 7 months when I had gained over 40 lbs! Within 2 weeks, I lost 20+ lbs, and 9 months later, have lost 55 lbs. While the drug DID lower my blood sugar, the horrendous side effects of weight gain, leg swelling, mobility/stability, knee damage, and tooth decay caused permanent damage to my body and made this drug intolerable for me."

• Gam...
• January 29, 2020

"I have been on Actos 30 mg for over a year, but three months ago I started having severe daytime drowsiness. I went to see a sleep doctor about this, and they recommended that I follow a strict sleep schedule and make a few medication changes. I called the sleep people and demanded another sleep study in case my C-PAP machine needed to be adjusted. They adjusted it, but two weeks later there was no improvement. So they had me wear an actigraphy watch for a week to see how much I slept, among many other things to keep track of. They called today, 1/29/2020, and said it must be a drug that I am taking. I told them that there aren't any new medications I am taking. Almost all of them I have been on for years. But as I was napping in the afternoon, as usual, it crossed my mind that there are two drugs that I have not been taking for several years: Actos and Jardiance. So I looked up the side effects of these drugs and BAM! There it is for Actos: extreme fatigue. I am NOT taking this drug."

• nic...
• September 13, 2009

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• J0h...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 24, 2015

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• Jim...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 13, 2019

"Took pioglitazone for about 8 months or so, all was OK, my numbers were down for a while, but now I have gained weight, the numbers stay the same, I feel tired, dizzy, I was swelling from the waist down all the way to my feet to the point that I had a hard time getting into my clothes. I contacted the doctor and he reduced the dosage, but I felt the same, the fatigue continued and so did the swelling. I was not myself anymore. I decided to stop taking the pioglitazone on my own for about three weeks now, and I am back in action. My numbers have not changed, I feel alive again, the swelling has gone down a bit, but the fatigue is gone. I will give my doctor one more chance to find an alternative medication, if none are available, I will look to change to another doctor for sure. 1.0"

• shu...
• June 26, 2007

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."

• gra...
• July 17, 2007

Actos (pioglitazone) "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."