Pioglitazone
About Pioglitazone
Pioglitazone is an anti-diabetic medicine belonging to the class of thiazolidinedione (TZD), also called 'glitazones', used to treat type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. Type 2 diabetes is an illness where the body doesn't make enough insulin, or the insulin that it makes doesn't work properly. This is diabetes that usually develops in adulthood.
Pioglitazone contains Pioglitazone, which helps control the sugar level in your blood when you have type 2 diabetes by helping your body make better use of the insulin it produces.
Pioglitazone should be taken with food or an empty stomach. The most common side effects of Pioglitazone are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, sinusitis, myalgia (muscle pain), and pharyngitis. Most of these side effects of Pioglitazone do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. Please consult your doctor if these side effects become troublesome.
Pioglitazone should not be stopped even if you feel better without consulting your doctor. If you stop taking Pioglitazone suddenly, it may increase your sugar levels, which could further increase the risk of eyesight loss (retinopathy), kidney damage (nephropathy) and nerve damage (neuropathy). Pioglitazone should not be taken if you have type 1 diabetes mellitus, if you are hypersensitive (allergic) to any of the ingredients in Pioglitazone, have heart failure or have had heart failure in the past, diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication of diabetes causing rapid weight loss, nausea or vomiting), severe kidney or liver disease, bladder cancer. Please inform your doctor if you have any heart disease, are or are planning to get pregnant or are breastfeeding. The safety and efficacy of Pioglitazone in children under 18 years have not been established, so it should not be given to them.
Uses of Pioglitazone
Medicinal Benefits
Pioglitazone is an antidiabetic drug (thiazolidinedione/glitazones) used along with a proper diet and exercise to control high blood sugar (hyperglycaemia) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Pioglitazone works by helping to restore your body's appropriate response to insulin, thereby lowering your blood sugar.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Pioglitazone
Upper respiratory tract infection
Headache
Sinusitis
Myalgia (muscle pain)
Pharyngitis (inflammation of pharynx located back of neck)
Drug Warnings
Fluid retention (oedema) may occur and can lead to congestive heart failure so, a combination of use with insulin and use in heart failure may increase the risk in patients taking Pioglitazone. You should not take Pioglitazone if you have kidney disease, as measured by a blood test. Pioglitazone, when used with or without insulin, $ name tends to lower the blood sugar level. So, the doctor may lower the dose of insulin. Increased fractures may be reported in some women taking Pioglitazone. Patients with bladder cancer and macular oedema (fluid build-up in the macula part of the retina of the eye) should consult the doctor before using Pioglitazone.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Pioglitazone may interact with antidiabetics (gemfibrozil), and antibiotics (rifampicin). So, tell your doctor if you are using these drugs before taking Pioglitazone.
Drug-Food Interactions: Taking Pioglitazone with alcoholic beverages may increase the risk of a rare but serious and potentially life-threatening condition known as lactic acidosis (build-up of lactic acid in the blood) and hypoglycaemia.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Pioglitazone should be avoided in patients with congestive heart failure (heart-related issues), type I diabetes, bladder cancer, oedema, liver disease, macular oedema, premenopausal anovulation, obesity (weight gain), anaemia as it may worsen the condition.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeYou are recommended not to consume alcohol along with Pioglitazone to avoid unpleasant side-effects.
Pregnancy
unsafePioglitazone is not generally recommended in pregnancy. It's not clear whether pioglitazone can harm your unborn baby. It is highly recommended to consult your doctor before taking this drug in case you are pregnant.
Breast Feeding
cautionIt is highly recommended to consult your doctor before taking Pioglitazone.
Driving
cautionPioglitazone will not affect your ability to drive or use machines but take care if you experience abnormal vision.
Liver
cautionPioglitazone to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of liver diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Kidney
cautionPioglitazone to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Children
unsafeThe safety and efficacy of Pioglitazone in children have not been established. Pioglitazone is not recommended in children.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
Fill your half plate with starchy veggies, a quarter with proteins, and a quarter with whole grain.
Eat at regular interval. Do not take the long gap between a meal or snack.
Monitor your blood sugar level regularly especially when there are a lot of fluctuations.
Invest at least 150 min of moderate-intensity physical activity and 15 minutes of high-intensity exercise every week.
Lose weight gradually to achieve a healthy body mass index (18.5 to 24.9).
Replace refined carbohydrates containing foods with whole grain foods and increase intake of fruits and veggies and other fibre enriched foods.
Reduce intake of saturated fat (or hidden fats) in the food like chips, crisps, pastries, biscuits and samosas. Choose omega 3 fatty acid-containing oils for daily cooking. For frying, you may use palm oil, mustard oil, groundnut oil, rice bran oil, and safflower oil.
Do not take stress as it may elevate your blood sugar level. You may adopt stress management techniques like mindfulness, yoga or meditation to control stress-related to blood sugar changes.
Opt for low-fat dairy products (low-fat yoghurt, fat-free milk and cheese etc.).
Keep your blood pressure as normal (120/80) as possible. As it reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases in diabetes patients.
Special Advise
Keep taking the drug even if you think your blood sugar levels are under control. If you miss a dose, do not take a larger dose. Consult your treating physician for advice.
Take short, frequent meals, and avoid prolonged fasting when taking this drug. Beware of symptoms of hypoglycaemia which include sweating, dizziness, palpitations, shivering, intense thirst, dry mouth, dry skin, frequent urination etc. Whenever you experience the symptoms mentioned above, immediately consume 5-6 candies, three glucose biscuits, or three teaspoons of honey/sugar and get in touch with your physician. Make sure to carry these with you at all times, especially for long travels.
Before the doctor prescribes this medicine, it is always better that your physician knows about any underlying conditions like kidney or liver disease, prior heart attack, alcohol intake, etc.
Avoid drinking alcohol while on this drug as it increases the risk of hypoglycaemia (decrease in blood sugar which might be fatal in some cases) and lactic acidosis (when the lactic acid increases in the body, which impacts the functioning of various organs in the body).
Try to quit smoking and reduce your intake of carbohydrate-rich food like potatoes, rice, mangoes, bread, sugar etc.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic or lifelong disease that keeps the body away from properly utilizing insulin. Hence, people affected with type 2 diabetes either do not produce enough insulin or resist insulin action. Middle-aged or older are most likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes, also known as adult-onset diabetes. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination at night, slow wound healing, increased hunger, fatigue, and blurred vision. There may be weight gain in some cases, while weight loss may be observed in rare cases. The complication of type 2 diabetes also includes neuropathy (nerve problems), nephropathy (kidney problems), retinopathy (damaged retina of eyes or blindness), loss of limbs, sexual dysfunction, and an increase in the chance of heart attack or stroke.
FAQs
Pioglitazone is used to treat type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus. It helps control the sugar level in your blood by helping your body make better use of the insulin it produces.
Type-2 diabetes generally does not affect healthy children and teens, but it may affect children who are obese, which is also known as Childhood Obesity.
Hypoglycemia refers to low blood sugar levels, and it is one of the side effects of Pioglitazone. Hypoglycemia can occur if you miss or delay your food, drink alcohol, over-exercise or take other antidiabetic medicine along with this medicine. It is important to monitor blood sugar levels regularly.
If you have symptoms like increased hunger, increased thirst, frequent urination (usually at night), unexplained weight loss, fatigue, blurred vision, slow wound/sores healing, and frequent infections, contact doctor as it can be a condition of type 2 diabetes.
In case you feel that your blood sugar level is going down and you are feeling weak, immediately eat sugar candies or drink sugary beverages. It will help to balance the blood sugar level in your body. So, it is advisable to keep sugar candies with you.
If you have or have ever had urinary bladder cancer, diabetic eye disease (retinopathy), or kidney or liver disease, avoid use of Pioglitazone. If it is urgent consult with the doctor.
Swallow the tablet whole with a drink of water. Do not chew it. Pioglitazone can be taken with or without food.
The safety and efficacy of Pioglitazone in children under 18 years have not been established, so it should not be given to them.
Pioglitazone contains Pioglitazone, which helps control the sugar level in your blood when you have type 2 diabetes by helping your body make better use of the insulin it produces.
The most common side effects of Pioglitazone are upper respiratory tract infection, headache, sinusitis, myalgia (muscle pain), and pharyngitis. Most of these side effects of Pioglitazone do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. Please consult your doctor if these side effects become troublesome.
You can take Pioglitazone at any time with or without food, for example, in the morning or the evening. Try to take it at the same time every day.
Some people increase body fat after using pioglitazone. This can make them gain weight. To avoid gaining too much weight, try to eat a healthy balanced diet while keeping your portion sizes consistent. Regular exercise will also help to maintain your weight.
Pioglitazone-induced heart failure is known in patients with underlying heart disease but is not well documented in patients with normal. Please discuss with your doctor if you have underlying heart disease before taking Pioglitazone.
Yes, Pioglitazone and metformin combination is used with proper diet and exercise to treat high blood sugar levels caused by type 2 diabetes.
You can take Pioglitazone at any time with or without food, for example, in the morning or the evening. Try to take it at the same time every day.
Pioglitazone is used to treat diabetes. Diabetes therapy is usually lifelong. Do not discontinue taking pioglitazone without consulting your doctor. If you stop taking pioglitazone suddenly, your blood sugar levels can drop. If you want to discontinue taking your medication, consult your doctor. They may be able to recommend an alternative treatment for your diabetes.
Patients should avoid self-discontinuing diabetes medication when symptoms improve because symptoms may not reflect the actual condition. Doing so is very dangerous, not controlling blood sugar and making complications appear early. However, a person can stop using this drug safely if they can effectively manage their Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through sustainable lifestyle changes. Please discuss this with your doctor for personalized guidance.
Pioglitazone is usually safe to take for a long time. Your doctor will give you regular tests to check whether it's OK for you to continue taking it.
Pioglitazone to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of liver diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor. So, let your doctor know about your medical condition.
Pioglitazone is an anti-diabetic medicine belonging to the class of thiazolidinedione (TZD), also called glitazones, used to treat type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus.
Pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione, improves glycemic control in type 2 diabetics by enhancing peripheral insulin sensitivity, whereas metformin, a biguanide, works mostly by lowering hepatic glucose production.
Pioglitazone may raise bladder cancer risk in a dose- and time-dependent way, according to current research. Patients with long-term and high-dose pioglitazone exposure should be frequently examined for bladder cancer.
Pioglitazone may be used alone or with other medicines, such as insulin, metformin, or sulfonylurea agents. Before using Pioglitazone along with other medications, check with your doctor. The doctor will check for potential interactions and guide you through the process of taking them if necessary.
To avoid potential interactions and minimise side effects, before using this medication, you should inform your doctor about your medical history, including any ongoing medicines.
Pioglitazone is not suggested during pregnancy because there is limited information on its safety. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, consult your doctor, as they will need to reassess your treatment. They will be able to recommend a different prescription that is safe for you to take throughout pregnancy.
Store in a cool and dry place away from sunlight. Keep out of sight and reach of children.
