Pioglitazone and Fatigue: What Users Say

• Tbe...
• July 3, 2013

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

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."

• 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"

• Gam...
• January 29, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been on Actos 30 mg for over a year, but three months ago I started having severe daytime drowsiness. I went to see a sleep doctor about this, and they recommended that I follow a strict sleep schedule and make a few medication changes. I called the sleep people and demanded another sleep study in case my C-PAP machine needed to be adjusted. They adjusted it, but two weeks later there was no improvement. So they had me wear an actigraphy watch for a week to see how much I slept, among many other things to keep track of. They called today, 1/29/2020, and said it must be a drug that I am taking. I told them that there aren't any new medications I am taking. Almost all of them I have been on for years. But as I was napping in the afternoon, as usual, it crossed my mind that there are two drugs that I have not been taking for several years: Actos and Jardiance. So I looked up the side effects of these drugs and BAM! There it is for Actos: extreme fatigue. I am NOT taking this drug."

• Dav...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2021

Pioglitazone for Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking 30 mg for 2 1/2 weeks now. I have had migraine headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea, and stomach pain. Severe fatigue to the point I have spent 12 out of the past 14 days in bed or on the couch, unable to do normal daily functions. I have also gained 2 lbs. That may not sound like much, but when you take into account that I only eat half of a small homemade ham sandwich or equivalent per meal, that's a lot. 2 weeks ago I weighed 148 lbs, I now weigh 150 lbs and have been eating less than before starting Actos."