Pioglitazone

[vince13]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned elsethread but I am taking Pioglitazone in addition to my usual gliclazide, Gloucophage, Simvastatin and Ramipril. I've been taking it for about 3 months now and, although it is helping to bring my levels down further (from HbAlc of 7.6 three months ago, to7.1 this week) I am having sleepless nights and it seems to tie in with these pills.

I mentioned it to my Dr as it does say on the paperwork that comes with the pills that insomnia can be a side-effect but he more or less said "let's see how it goes". I am now told to double the dose and just wonder if anyone else is a) taking this drug and b) having the same side-effect - or is it all in my mind ?

It doesn't matter particularly as I'm retired and it doesn't affect my "working" life as it once would have done but I'm wondering if it's now got into a pattern or it's just me needing less sleep or it is the pills.

Any ideas ? 😱

 

[Northerner]

Hi Faith, sorry, I haven't any experience with this drug but I'm sure I've heard it mentioned once or twice on the forum. Hopefully, RachelT will be able to elaborate! I've found it's all well and good the doctors saying that you should give it a while, but they aren't the ones getting the side effects. Maybe they get one too many people complaining so they don't take us seriously sometimes.

Personally, I think that if the change coincided with the change in medication then it isn't in your mind. You may have seen my post recently about how I felt awful going for a run the morning after increasing my blood pressure medication? I went back to the previous dose and was fine running a couple of days later - for me it seems far too linked to be coincidence! It might be worth just trying the doubled dose to see if your symptoms get worse (if it is possible to tell!), then you will have some stronger evidence to take back to your doctor. There may be a different version of the pill that you can take which does not affect you.