Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by cappie on August 1, 2012 at 7:30am

I would never take either Actos or Avandia they are very unsafe meds & in fact have warnings on them. Metformin is one of the oldest, safest, cheapest drugs & has many other advantages: helping hearts, cancer & building beta cells. 500 mg is the smallest dose possible & is usually rx'd only as a starter dose. You usually start increasing the dose as you get used to the drug. I take 1000 mg twice a day.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kathy on November 22, 2009 at 11:22am

Hear! Hear! What IS up with that is a very good question. Diabetes is becoming an epidemic in America I think.
Thanks for writing.
Kathy

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by alimar on April 7, 2011 at 6:49am

Hello, folks!

The diabetic nurse put me on to Actos this morning, switching me over from Victoza (which, after a promising start, just didn't do much good). I'm also on 4 Metformin a day, and I've also started taking a large dose of cod liver oil with Omega 3, which seems to have helped a broken down scar on my leg finally heal up in the last week or so. I am a bit concerned about the bone problem - I need to have a broken wisdom tooth out, and I only had a broken premolar taken out at the end of November - a friend suggested that I might have osteoporosis - they are offering scans for £20, or I can wait a year (when I'll be 50) and then get it done for free. I think that I'll raise it next time I'm at the surgery.

Meantime, I'll see how it goes, although I wasn't too thrilled to see that one of the side effects of Actos was flatulence - same with Metformin! Oh, dear ....!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Cheri on April 7, 2011 at 8:39am

I also take DHEA and CoQ10.

Good for you for NOT taking Actos - it is an AWFUL medicine. Nothing wrong with Metformin - some have side effects but for most it is tried and true.
It is not surprising that the Metformin is not working like the Actos - they are 2 totally different types of medications. Metformin does not directly lower BG - it helps your pancreas be more effective. Actos is a sulfonylurea.

The BEST advice I can give you is to go to Jenny's site and maybe get her book - http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/
It really saved me. There is so much we don't know, aren't told, in the beginning - and so, so, so much that general practitioners do not know.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by alimar on October 12, 2011 at 7:31am

Hello, folks, here's my update. The Actos dosage was increased to 30 mg a couple of months ago, but the numbers were coming down excruciatingly slowly. At the last diabetes clinic last week, the nurse was talking about putting me on 1 shot of Novorapid at teatime and 1 shot of Lantus at bedtime. HOWEVER, a couple of days later, I went for a blood test - I've just phoned for the results - the numbers have taken a quantum plunge down to 73 from 84! I don't know what that is in old money, but it sure sounds good to me! Looks like the Actos (along with the Metformin and glimepiride) is doing the trick. We're going to try nudging the dosage up to 45 mg, and see what happens at the next clinic in January.

"I've got to admit it's getting better, it's getting better all the time ... "

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by jims on October 20, 2011 at 10:57am

My kidney Doctor wanted me off actos.

That is bad drug used to stuff more glucose into cells already topped off. And it will.

Cut carbs diet, exercise more.

I am on 1200 calorie diet and 2 miles walking. I use multiple 500 mg doses spread around clock of metformin.

AT one stage, ACTOS was only drug that could get BG down. Then extra exercise showed that would get excessive glucose out and did drop dam actos. Glad I did. My kidneys stabalized and I am far healthier.

Check with your Doctor, this is not advice but simply sharing what I do.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Sandra Nichole Smith on July 18, 2012 at 7:49am

Taking your medicine like actos or Metformin TR when having diabetes will depend on your body reaction. It doesn't base for the quality of drug coz other people are well happy with actos while others doesn't.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by jims on July 26, 2012 at 6:59pm

I WOULD OFFER THE FOLLOWING:

Metformin in sufficient dose cuts back liver glucose release.

Actos forces more glucose into body skeletal muscles when they are even full of glucose. It seems the water retention is greater under actos.

For me I had to give up actos as my kidneys starting to go down hill and dropping efficiency with protein in urine.

That has stopped once off of actos and a1c sub 7.0.

Be careful about actos. kissing cousin to avandia.

good luck.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page