Actos
Actos is prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes to control blood sugar levels by reducing insulin resistance. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells don’t use the insulin that is produced.
Insulin is a necessary hormone that your body uses to detect food intake and prompt the body to absorb glucose (sugar) from the blood stream. If insulin isn’t being produced or if cells don’t detect the insulin, the body won’t absorb the necessary glucose and can starve even when there is a great amount of food intake.
Actos works by lowering blood glucose levels by increasing the cells’ sensitivity, which enables the cells to use glucose in the bloodstream. Actos is especially designed for people who are overweight and whose diet and exercise are not sufficient enough to control blood sugar levels.
Side effects of Actos includes:
- weight gain
- ovulation in women who couldn’t get pregnant before
- heart failure
- vision loss
- decreased liver function
- upper airway infections
- headache
- dizziness
- sweating
Actos is in the same class of drugs as Rezulin, which was removed from the market because of its link to liver damage. Patients with prior liver damage or illness should not use Actos. Actos has also been linked to congenital heart failure, which is an illness in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to other organs. The heart stops working as efficiently as it should, and the failure can lead to a heart attack.
If you experience liver damage, heart failure, or hypoglycemia while taking Actos, contact a personal injury attorney immediately.
