Glimepiride and pioglitazone

Generic name: Glimepiride And Pioglitazone
Brand names: Duetact
Dosage form: oral tablet (2 mg-30 mg; 4 mg-30 mg)
Drug class: Antidiabetic combinations

Usage of Glimepiride and pioglitazone

Glimepiride and pioglitazone is a combination of two oral diabetes medicines that help control blood sugar levels.

Glimepiride and pioglitazone is a combination medicine used together with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. glimepiride and pioglitazone is not for treating type 1 diabetes.

Glimepiride and pioglitazone may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Glimepiride and pioglitazone side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction (hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat) or a severe skin reaction (fever, sore throat, burning eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash with blistering and peeling).

Glimepiride and pioglitazone may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

pink or red urine, painful or difficult urination, new or worsening urge to urinate;

changes in your vision;

sudden unusual pain in your hand, arm, or foot;

liver problems--upper stomach pain, vomiting, tiredness, loss of appetite, dark urine, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or

symptoms of heart failure--shortness of breath (even while lying down), swelling in your legs or feet, rapid weight gain.

Common side effects of glimepiride and pioglitazone may include:

headache;

muscle pain;

nausea, diarrhea; or

cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sinus pain, sneezing, sore throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Glimepiride and pioglitazone

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to glimepiride, pioglitazone, or sulfa drugs, or if you have:

severe or advanced heart failure;

active bladder cancer; or

diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).

Pioglitazone may increase your risk of serious heart problems. However, not treating your diabetes can damage your heart and other organs. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking glimepiride and pioglitazone.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

congestive heart failure or heart disease;

fluid retention;

bladder cancer;

liver disease;

kidney disease;

a genetic enzyme deficiency called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency;

eye problems caused by diabetes; or

a heart attack or stroke.

This medication may increase your risk of developing bladder cancer. Talk with your doctor about your specific risk.

Follow your doctor's instructions about using this medicine if you are pregnant or you become pregnant. Controlling diabetes is very important during pregnancy, and having high blood sugar may cause complications in both the mother and the baby. However, you may need to stop taking glimepiride and pioglitazone for a short time just before your due date.

Women may be more likely to have a broken bone while taking glimepiride and pioglitazone. Talk with your doctor about ways to keep your bones healthy.

Pioglitazone may cause you to ovulate and get pregnant, even if you are premenopausal or do not have regular periods. Talk with your doctor about the need for birth control.

It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

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How to use Glimepiride and pioglitazone

Usual Adult Dose for Diabetes Type 2:

Individualize dose based on safety, efficacy, and prior therapyInitial dose: pioglitazone 30 mg-glimepiride 2 mg or pioglitazone 30 mg-glimepiride 4 mg orally once a day -For patients inadequately controlled on glimepiride monotherapy: pioglitazone 30 mg-glimepiride 2 mg or pioglitazone 30 mg-glimepiride 4 mg orally once a day-For patients inadequately controlled on pioglitazone monotherapy: pioglitazone 30 mg-glimepiride 2 mg orally once a day -For patients receiving pioglitazone and glimepiride as individual components: Initiate with the combination product containing doses that are as close as possible to the dose of each component-For patients currently on a different sulfonylurea monotherapy or switching from combination therapy of pioglitazone plus a different sulfonylurea: pioglitazone 30 mg-glimepiride 2 mg orally once a day -For patients with systolic dysfunction, initiate with pioglitazone monotherapy and only initiate combination therapy after titration from pioglitazone 15 mg to 30 mg has been safely tolerated. Maintenance Dose: Gradually titrate dose based on adequacy of therapeutic response and tolerability for each component Comments: -Take with first meal of the day.-For patients switching from a different sulfonylurea, carefully monitor for hypoglycemia for 1 to 2 weeks due to a potential overlapping drug effect. -If hypoglycemia occurs in a patient coadministered an insulin secretagogue, the dose of the insulin secretagogue should be reduced. -If hypoglycemia occurs in a patient's coadministered insulin, the insulin dose should be decreased by 10% to 25% with further adjustments based on glycemic response. Use: As an adjunct to diet and exercise, to improve glycemic control in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who are already treated with a thiazolidinedione and sulfonylurea or who have inadequate glycemic control in a thiazolidinedione alone or a sulfonylurea alone.

Warnings

You should not use glimepiride and pioglitazone if you have severe or uncontrolled heart failure, active bladder cancer, or diabetic ketoacidosis (call your doctor for treatment).

This medicine can cause or worsen congestive heart failure. Call your doctor at once if you have shortness of breath (even with mild exertion), swelling, or rapid weight gain.

What other drugs will affect Glimepiride and pioglitazone

Tell your doctor if you use insulin. Taking glimepiride and pioglitazone while you are using insulin may increase your risk of serious heart problems.

Glimepiride and pioglitazone may not work as well when you use other medicines at the same time. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all medicines you start or stop using.

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