Competact

Side effects

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.

- Visual disturbances
- Weight gain
- Anaemia
- Headache
- Joint pain
- Impotence (erectile dysfunction)
- Blood in the urine (haematuria)
- Excess gas in the stomach and intestines (flatulence)
- Excessive fluid retention in the body tissues, resulting in swelling (oedema)
- Disturbances of the gut such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or abdominal pain
- Loss of appetite
- Metallic taste
- Decreased sense of touch
- Upper airway infections
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- Elevated levels of lactic acid in the blood (lactic acidosis)
- Decreased absorption of vitamin B12 during long-term use
- Skin reactions such as rash, itching or flushing

The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.

How can this medicine affect other medicines?

It is important to tell your doctor or pharmacist what medicines you are already taking, including those bought without a prescription and herbal medicines, before you start treatment with this medicine. Similarly, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medicines while taking this one, to ensure that the combination is safe.

This medicine must not be used by people being treated with insulin, as when pioglitazone is used in combination with insulin it may increase the risk of heart failure.

There may be an increased risk of fluid retention (oedema) if non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac or ibuprofen are taken with pioglitazone.

Gemfibrozil may increase the amount of pioglitazone in the blood. As this could increase the chance of side effects, you should let your doctor know if you get any new or increased side effects if you start taking gemfibrozil with this medicine. Your doctor may want you to monitor your blood sugar more frequently and may need to decrease your dose of this medicine.

The antibiotic rifampicin may decrease the amount of pioglitazone in your blood and could make it less effective. Your doctor may want you to monitor your blood sugar more frequently if you are prescribed rifampicin. Your dose of this medicine may need to be increased.

The following medicines may increase blood glucose levels. If you start treatment with any of these your dose of this medicine may therefore need increasing:

- corticosteroids, such as prednisolone
- diuretics, especially thiazide diuretics, eg bendroflumethiazide
- beta-2-agonists, such as salbutamol
- lithium
- oestrogens and progesterones, such as those contained in oral contraceptives.

Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) may occur, sometimes unpredictably, if ACE inhibitors such as captopril are taken with this medicine.

Cimetidine may cause an increase in the blood level of metformin. Your doctor may reduce your metformin dose if you take both medicines.

Metformin should be stopped before X-ray examinations involving injections of iodinated contrast materials, as these may cause a temporary decrease in kidney function that could affect the blood level of metformin. Metformin should not be started again after the X-ray until kidney function has been tested and found to be normal.

Other medicines containing the same active ingredients

There are currently no other medicines available in the UK that contain both metformin and pioglitazone.

Glucophage and Metsol contain just metformin.

Actos contains just pioglitazone.

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