Actos

Actos (pioglitazone) is a prescription medicine most often prescribed for the treatment of type II diabetes. It does not cure the condition, but helps the person taking it control blood sugar levels. Make sure you notify your health care provider of the fact of ever having been diagnosed with the following health conditions: history of heart attack, liver disease, congestive heart failure, history of stroke, or heart disease, as this may be a determining factor in prescribing you a certain dose of this medication. You must know the possible signs of low blood sugar and always have some source of sugar with you for such cases. The following symptoms are possible: confusion, fainting, seizure, drowsiness, irritability, headache, sweating, weakness, fast heartbeat, and dizziness. To avoid these symptoms and low blood sugar you are not supposed to combine Actos with other medications known to lower your blood sugar levels, such as probenecid, aspirin, sulfa drugs, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Some other drugs you may be taking can cause hyperglycemia - high blood sugar levels. The following drugs are known to do that: thyroid medicines, seizure medicines, steroids, birth control pills, medicines to treat asthma, diuretics, colds or allergies medicines, phenothiazines, isoniazid, and certain diet pills. Such medicines as nifedipine, rifampin, gemfibrozil, furosemide, and midazolam can interact with the effects of Actos making your treatment less efficient. It's therefore important that you report these medications to your doctor in case of taking them. If you are not sure whether the medicine you are taking belongs to any of the classes of drugs mentioned and can in any way affect the success of your treatment - make sure you discuss this point with your doctor but never make the decision of taking some medicine along with Actos yourself. The following serious side effects are possible in patients taking Actos: pale skin, increased thirst or hunger, chest pain, loss of appetite, urinating more than usual, rapid weight gain, clay-colored stools, blurred vision, and easy bruising or bleeding. These serious side effects are mentioned just for you to know about the theoretical possibility of getting them. The truth is - they are quite rare, as Actos is generally well tolerated with just a few mild side effects possible, such as tooth problems, signs of cold, headache, muscle pain, sneezing, and runny nose. This drug is FDA pregnancy category C. This category means the medicine may harm an unborn baby and passes into breast milk. However, since there is not enough information that would be precise, sometimes pregnant women are prescribed Actos if they need it to treat their diabetes and keep blood sugar levels under control. You will need to discuss all the risks and benefits of the treatment before taking this medicine. Breastfeeding women may be recommended to stop breastfeeding while taking this drug to avoid health effects in their babies.