When was actos put on the market

Please return to AARP. You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. You will be asked to register or log in. In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails related to AARP volunteering.

Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly receive communications related to AARP volunteering. In the meantime, please feel free to search for ways to make a difference in your community at www. Javascript must be enabled to use this site.

Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. Now Reading:. Membership My Account. Rewards for Good. Share with facebook. Share with twitter. Share with linkedin. Share using email. That all depends. Diabetes-friendly recipes. Managing diabetes with Paul and Mira Sorvino. The pharmacist who says no to drugs More answers from Ask the Pharmacist. A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include:. Call your doctor right away if you have a severe allergic reaction to Actos.

Clinical trials have looked at Actos when the drug was used by itself. People took either Actos or metformin Glucophage. Actos was also tested with sulfonylurea medications such as glimepiride Amaryl or glyburide DiaBeta. This can result in fluid building up in your body.

CHF can cause many symptoms, including trouble breathing; swelling, especially of the legs and feet; and a change in your heart rate. Actos can also cause edema, which may lead to CHF as well.

Actos use may increase the risk of developing a bladder tumor mass of tissue , which can be cancerous. But the link between bladder cancer and Actos is still currently being studied. Symptoms of bladder cancer may include painful urination, pain in the back or abdomen belly , and blood in the urine.

If you currently have bladder cancer or had it in the past, talk with your doctor before taking Actos. They may monitor you more closely for symptoms of bladder cancer or recommend a different medication. Actos may also put you at risk for developing other types of cancer.

In one study , people who took Actos had an increased risk of developing prostate cancer or pancreatic cancer. However, the link between cancer and Actos needs to be studied more thoroughly. If you have a history of cancer, especially pancreatic or prostate cancer, talk with your doctor before taking Actos.

They may recommend that you take a different medication instead. Weight gain is a possible side effect of Actos use. In clinical trials over a to week period, researchers found that people who took:. Weight gain was related to the dose of Actos that people took.

An increase in weight can be due to edema, which may be caused by taking Actos. Weight gain can also be the result of gaining body fat. If you begin to gain a lot of weight during your Actos treatment, tell your doctor.

They may be able to recommend a diet or exercise plan to help you manage your weight. They may also suggest ways to reduce some of the fluid buildup that may be causing the weight gain. Edema, which is swelling due to fluid buildup, is a side effect that may occur during Actos treatment. In one clinical trial , edema occurred in about In comparison, If you develop edema while taking Actos, tell your doctor.

Although edema may be due to Actos, it can also be a symptom of other conditions such as CHF. However, it was reported in post-marketing studies of people who took Actos. These studies are done after the FDA has approved a drug. Macular edema is fluid buildup in a part of your eye called the macula. This can cause blurry vision or colors to look less sharp.

If you notice any vision changes while taking Actos, tell your doctor. They may recommend that you visit an eye doctor or adjust your medication. Typically, your doctor will start you on a low dosage. Your doctor will ultimately prescribe the smallest dosage that provides the desired effect. The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you.

Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs. Your doctor will likely have you start taking either a mg or mg dose of Actos once a day. If needed, they may increase the dose by 15 mg for extra control of your blood sugar. The maximum dose of Actos is 45 mg a day.

Your starting dose will depend on if you have other health conditions, such as CHF. And in some situations where your body may be very stressed , your doctor may need to change your dose or have you stop taking Actos.

So tell your doctor right away if you:. Never change your dosage of Actos without first talking with your doctor. And before you start taking Actos, be sure to tell them about any medical conditions you have or any other medications that you take. Your doctor will determine what the best dosage is for you. If you miss your dose, wait and take Actos when your next dose is due. Never take two doses in 1 day. A medication timer may be useful, too. Actos is meant to be used as a long-term treatment.

Very rarely, Actos can cause serious side effects that may require you to stop taking it. One of these rare side effects is macular edema , which is fluid buildup in part of your eye.

Also, some medications may interact with Actos, causing you to have too much or too little of the drug in your body. If you suddenly stop using Actos, your blood sugar may increase. And this may cause your type 2 diabetes symptoms to get worse. They may also give you a different medication instead of Actos. After you take a dose of Actos, your body begins breaking down the medication. Your system gets rid of a dose of Actos within 3 to 24 hours after you take it.

However, it may be a few days until all of the drug is completely out of your system. In fact, low doses of Actos are sometimes used off-label to treat a certain type of hair loss called primary cicatricial alopecia PCA. With PCA, your hair follicles sacs under your skin that hold the roots of your hair are destroyed. Some studies have suggested that Actos may be useful in preventing PCA from getting worse.

They can recommend treatments that may help. A drug class is a group of medications that work in similar way. This was compared with 4. Actos may also be used off-label for other conditions. Actos is FDA-approved to help control blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. Your pancreas makes a hormone called insulin , which takes glucose out of your blood and helps you use the sugar as a source of energy.

This is why people with type 2 diabetes have high blood sugar levels. A high level of sugar in your blood can cause serious complications. These include:. In clinical trials , Actos was shown to be an effective medication in treating type 2 diabetes. Clinical trials have shown that Actos has helped lower fasting blood glucose levels. The measure tests how much sugar is in your blood.

However, in people with diabetes, this level may be much higher. In clinical trials of type 2 diabetes, people who took just Actos with no other diabetes medications saw a decrease in their fasting blood glucose levels.

Three studies were done that ranged from 16 to 26 weeks long. People took either Actos or a placebo treatment with no active drug. Hemoglobin A1c HbA1c is another measure used to monitor diabetes. It shows the average blood sugar level for about the past 3 months. Clinical trials looked at people with type 2 diabetes who took Actos or a placebo.

In clinical trials , Actos was tested with metformin Glucophage , insulin, or sulfonylureas. Sulfonylureas are a class of medications used to treat diabetes. Examples of sulfonylureas include: glyburide DiaBeta , glimepiride Amaryl , and glipizide Glucotrol. Actos and metformin: Clinical studies of type 2 diabetes looked at people who took Actos and metformin or a placebo and metformin. Actos and insulin: Actos was also tested with insulin in people with type 2 diabetes.

Actos and sulfonylureas: In another comparison trial , Actos was tested when used along with sulfonylureas in people with type 2 diabetes. For more information on the effectiveness of Actos to treat your type 2 diabetes, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. In addition to the use listed above, Actos may be used off-label for other uses. NAFLD is a condition in which fat can gather in your liver and damage it, possibly causing scarring. Studies have shown that Actos may help decrease fibrosis liver scarring and help your body become more sensitive to insulin.

However, clinical trials such as this one are still being held to determine if Actos is a safe and effective treatment for NAFLD. Other drugs are available that can treat type 2 diabetes. Some may be a better fit for you than others. They can tell you about other medications that may work well for you. Sometimes these medications may be used along with Actos to help control your blood glucose level.

Note: Some of the drugs listed here are used off-label to treat these specific conditions. You may wonder how Actos compares with other medications that are prescribed for similar uses. Here we look at how Actos and metformin Glucophage are alike and different. Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure.

Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship. The Higgins Firm Home. Free Consultation 1. What We Do. Drug and Medical Device Lawyers. Some of the typical side effects linked to the taking of Actos include, but are not limited to: Gaining weight over time A sore throat A runny nose Upper respiratory infection signs Headaches Muscle pains Mouth and tooth pain When studies were performed with Actos, more women experienced an elevated risk of developing bone fractures to the hands, arms, and feet.

When was Actos Put on the Market? Contact Us Free Consultation 1.