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Details:
What is Actos used for? Actos, in addition to diet andexercise, improves blood sugar control in patients with type 2 diabetes(non-insulin dependent diabetes). Actos can be used alone or in combination with a sulfonylurea, metformin, or insulin when diet, exercise, and one of theseagents or diet, exercise, plus Actos alone are not are not enough to controlblood sugar. Who should not take Actos? Do nottake Actos for Type 1 diabetes (juvenile diabetes) or diabetic ketoacidosis.
If you have heart failure, fluid retention or active liver disease yourhealth care provider will evaluate you to decide if Actos is right for you. Reports ofPatients’ Experiences Since Actos Became Available: There have been reports ofinflammation of the liver (hepatitis) and elevated liver enzymes. It has not been determined whether theseevents are directly related to Actos. It is recommended that patients taking Actos have their liver enzymesmonitored periodically. General Precautions with Actos: Actos is in the same class of drugs as Rezulin,which has been associated with rare but serious liver injury, including liverfailure leading to transplant or death. Because the liver safety profile of Actos is not fully determined yet,your doctor will do blood tests that evaluate your liver before starting you onActos. These blood tests should berepeated every two months for the first year, then regularly after that. Call your health care providerright away if you develop nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, a feeling oftiredness or having no energy, loss of appetite, dark urine, or jaundice(yellow coloring of eyes and skin). These may be the symptoms of liver problems. Patients who experience an unusually rapid increase inweight or retain fluid (edema) or who develop shortness of breath or othersymptoms of heart failure while on Actos should immediately report thesesymptoms to their health care provider. Whentaking Actos with insulin or certain other oral diabetes medicines, there is arisk of your blood sugar becoming dangerously low. Ask your health care provider aboutsymptoms of low blood sugar, conditions that make low blood sugar more likely,and what to do if you get it. Makesure to explain to family members. If you are a woman who has notreached menopause but have not had menstrual periods; you may become pregnantunless you use an effective method of birth control. Actos, like other drugs in this class,may cause insulin resistant women to start ovulating again. Women should tell their doctorif they notice any changes in their monthly menstrual cycle. During periods of stress on thebody, such as fever, trauma, infection, or surgery, your medicationrequirements may change; contact your health care provider promptly. What should I tell my doctor orhealth care provider? Womentaking oral birth control pills should talk to their health care provider whentaking Actos, because the effectiveness of oral birth control pills can bereduced.
Tell your health care provider if you are trying to become pregnant, arealready pregnant, or are breast-feeding.
Because certain other medications may interact with Actos, review allmedications that you are taking with your health care provider, including thosethat you take without a prescription. What are some possible sideeffects of Actos? (Thislist is not a complete list of side effects reported with Actos. Your health care provider can discusswith you a more complete list of side effects.) · cough or cold · headache · inflammation of the sinuses or throat · muscle pain · swelling or fluid retention Formore detailed information about Actos, ask your health care provider.
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