- What is duetact?
- What is type 2 diabetes?
- Why is it important to control type 2 diabetes?
- How does duetact help treat type 2 diabetes?
- What should I discuss with my health professional before taking duetact?
- How should I take duetact?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
- Do I still need to test my blood glucose while using duetact?
- What other routine laboratory tests are recommended?
- Can duetact increase my risk for pregnancy?
- What else can I do to help control type 2 diabetes?
- What are the possible side effects of duetact?
- Who should not use duetact?
- How should I store duetact?
- Where can I find more information about duetact?
What is duetact?
Duetact contains two prescription oral diabetes medications, ACTOS and glimepiride. Duetact is used with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar (glucose) control in adults with type 2 diabetes who are already taking ACTOS and a sulfonylurea together, or are taking a sulfonylurea alone. It is important to eat the right foods, lose weight if needed, and exercise regularly in order to manage your type 2 diabetes. Diet, weight loss, and exercise are an important part of managing type 2 diabetes and they also help your antidiabetic medicines work better for you.
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What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes (formerly called non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or adult-onset diabetes) occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin or cannot properly use the insulin it makes to control blood sugar. Insulin allows sugar to enter the cells of your body. Once inside the cells, sugar is used as a source of energy. If your body is resistant to the effects of insulin, a condition known as insulin resistance, and if it cannot make enough insulin to overcome that resistance, sugar builds up in the blood (hyperglycemia).
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Why is it important to control type 2 diabetes?
It is important to control type 2 diabetes because the buildup of sugar in the blood, if not controlled, can lead to serious medical problems such as kidney damage, amputation, heart disease, and blindness.
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How does duetact help treat type 2 diabetes?
Duetact, along with healthy eating and physical activity, works by treating insulin resistance, an important defect of type 2 diabetes. Duetact combines two medications, ACTOS and glimepiride, in one convenient tablet. ACTOS helps your body use insulin more effectively by making your cells more sensitive to insulin. Glimepiride lowers blood sugar levels by helping the pancreas release more insulin. When these two events happen, the sugar in your blood can enter more easily into the cells of your body where it’s needed and lower your blood sugar levels.
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What should I discuss with my health professional before taking duetact?
Duetact is not for everyone. You should talk to your health professional if you have a history of congestive heart failure, liver problems, swelling (edema), or if you are pregnant, intend to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. Duetact, particularly in combination with insulin, can cause fluid retention or swelling, which may lead to or worsen heart failure. Duetact may cause low blood sugar. Lightheadedness, dizziness, shakiness, or hunger may mean that your blood sugar is too low. Talk to your doctor if low blood sugar is a problem for you. It is also important to tell your health professional if you are taking other prescription medications or over-the-counter products.
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How should I take duetact?
- Take duetact exactly as prescribed. Your doctor will tell you how many duetact tablets to take and how often you should take them. Your doctor may need to increase your dose to control your blood glucose. Do not change your dose unless told to do so by your doctor.
- Stay on your diet and exercise programs and test your blood glucose regularly while taking duetact.
- Talk to your doctor if low blood sugar is a problem for you.
- Your doctor should monitor your type 2 diabetes through regular blood tests. Your doctor should also do blood tests before starting duetact and from time to time to check your liver and blood sugar. Your doctor will also do a blood test called a hemoglobin A1C to check how well your blood sugar has been controlled over the past 2–3 months.
- If you miss a dose of duetact, take your next dose as prescribed unless your doctor tells you differently.
- If you take too much duetact, call your doctor or poison control center right away.
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What should I do if I miss a dose?
If you miss the timing of your daily dose, take duetact as soon as you remember within the same day. If you miss a day, do not take a double dose the next day to make up for it.
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Do I still need to test my blood glucose while using duetact?
Yes. You should test your blood glucose as often as your health professional recommends.
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What other routine laboratory tests are recommended?
It is important to have your blood sugar and A1C—a measure of your average blood sugar levels over 2 to 3 months—checked regularly by your health professional. You will also need to have blood tests to check for serious or active liver disease prior to starting duetact therapy, and periodically thereafter per the clinical judgment of the health professional.
While taking duetact, call your health professional immediately if:
- You experience an unusually rapid increase in weight or swelling or develop shortness of breath or other symptoms of heart failure.
- You experience nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, fatigue, anorexia, dark urine, vision problems, or yellowing of the skin.
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Can duetact increase my risk for pregnancy?
If you are a premenopausal woman who is not ovulating, you should know that duetact might increase your risk of pregnancy by causing you to ovulate. Therefore, you may need to consider birth control options. Studies using duetact in combination with oral contraceptives have not been completed. Therefore, women using oral contraceptives should talk with their health professionals as they may be at increased risk for pregnancy if appropriate contraceptive methods or adjustments are not used.
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What else can I do to help control type 2 diabetes?
To help control type 2 diabetes, prescription medications such as duetact should be used in conjunction with nutritional counseling, weight reduction as needed, and physical activity.
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What are the possible side effects of duetact?
Some people in clinical trials experienced upper respiratory infections, weight gain, edema (swelling), hypoglycemia, and headache while taking the combination of drugs in duetact. Your doctor should check your eyes regularly. Very rarely, some patients have experienced vision changes while taking glimepiride, a component of duetact.
Fluid buildup (edema) can occur when taking ACTOS or other products in this class and can lead to congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is different than a heart attack or stroke. It is a condition in which the heart cannot pump blood as effectively as it should. CHF is a serious condition that, while often treatable, requires close monitoring and care by your physician.
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Who should not use duetact?
Patients with moderate-to-severe heart failure were not studied during clinical trials; therefore, duetact is not recommended in these individuals. Duetact should not be taken by people with active liver disease or jaundice (yellowing of the skin); people with type 1 diabetes; women who are pregnant or breast-feeding; or people who are allergic to duetact or any of its ingredients. Duetact should not be used for the treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis (a complication of diabetes in which acids called ketones build up in the blood). Duetact should be used with caution in people with swelling (edema).
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How should I store duetact?
Store duetact at room temperature, in a childproof container that is tightly closed and out of the reach of children, away from moisture and humidity.
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Where can I find more information about duetact?
This is a summary of some of the most important information about duetact. If you have any further questions about type 2 diabetes or duetact, you should talk to your health professional. If you would like more information about duetact, please click here to access the Complete Prescribing Information, or call
1-877-825-3327.
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Management of type 2 diabetes should also include nutritional counseling, weight reduction as needed, and exercise.
Please see Important Safety Information, including warning about heart failure, below.