Pioglitazone and Swelling: What Users Say

• Tbe...
• July 3, 2013

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

• nos...
• October 16, 2010

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

• CWA...
• September 15, 2009

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

• Anonymous
• June 9, 2010

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2011

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

• bjr...
• May 5, 2009

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

• nic...
• September 13, 2009

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "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."

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

For Type 2 Diabetes "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"

• Swe...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 10, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "I'm on pioglitazone three years now. I have abdominal swelling, swelling in my legs horribly. I thought maybe it was menopause or a lymphatic system problem. But nope, my lymphatic system test shows normal flow. I've been to all kinds of doctors about the swelling: heart, kidney, blood doctor. Nothing found. I came across a video on YouTube, and I was like, what a minute, I take that medication. I wonder why the doctors never thought it might be medication doing this. After much reading, I think it's very possible this drug caused my 60-pound weight gain and my swelling. Sure, my sugars good, but at what cost? I'm miserable."

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 10, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Lowered blood glucose (BG) and A1C, but the side effects couldn't be tolerated. Leg and abdominal edema was considerable, resulting in weight gain, pelvic floor pressure with less bladder control. Went off for a couple of months, then tried again at a lower dose. Leg edema not as noticeable, but again had me thinking I had a UTI, which I again did not, cultured to confirm. I was on the med for 5 weeks each time, and problems worsened, which after that long I would expect them to decrease. This med is definitely not for me."

• Anonymous
• May 5, 2011

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "Causes edema. I lost 30 lbs in less than 3 months after going off Actos."

• nan...
• September 7, 2007

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking Actos for about two weeks. My ankles and legs have swelled, and my joints are extremely painful. I am discontinuing this drug."

• nan...
• September 7, 2007

Actos (pioglitazone) for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking Actos for about two weeks. My ankles and legs have swelled, and my joints are extremely painful. I am discontinuing this drug."