Synonyms in a broader sense
Diabetes medication, medication Diabetes mellitus, pioglitazone (e.g. Actos®) Rosiglitazone (e.g. Avandia®)
How do Glitazones Pioglitazone (e.g. Actos®) Rosiglitazone (e.g. Avandia®) work?
The drugs from the substance group of glitazones with the two commercially available products pioglitazone (Actos®) and rosiglitazone (Avandia®) are also called “insulin sensitisers”. “Insulin sensitizers” because they increase the sensitivity of the body cells to the insulin still present in the body. The cells can therefore still absorb sugar from the blood despite low insulin levels.
Pioglitazone also inhibits the liver‘s sugar production. The drugs pioglitazone (Actos®) and rosiglitazone (Avandia®) can be combined with metformin or sulfonylureas, which further enhances the sugar-lowering effect. The improved insulin action on the cell also promotes another effect of insulin, namely fat production.
The main side effect of the drugs pioglitazone (Actos®) and rosiglitazone (Avandia®) is therefore weight gain. An increase of two to three kilos is quite possible. Type 2 diabetics in particular are often overweight.
Patients usually find it difficult to lose weight under therapy with glitazones. However, the use of pioglitazone (Actos®) or rosiglitazone (Avandia®) should be started early enough to be able to use the remaining insulin quantities in the body. Despite the relatively young age of the drugs pioglitazone (Actos®) and rosiglitazone (Avandia®), recent medical studies already indicate that they are very promising. In contrast to the other oral antidiabetics, glitazones work on the actual problem of type 2 diabetes: the insulin resistance of the body cells is reversed by the glitazones. In addition, Glitazones have a positive effect on high blood pressure (hypertension) and blood lipid levels, which in the long term reduces the risk of arteriosclerosis.
Dosage
It is taken once a day: 30 mg pioglitazone (Actos®) in the morning or rosiglitazone (Avandia®) 4 mg in the morning. Rosiglitazone can be increased up to 8 mg per day. However, the effect of the drugs pioglitazone (Actos®) and rosiglitazone (Avandia®) only occurs after four months.
