Pioglitazone and Glimepiride Dosing

In most cases, 30 mg/2 mg is the recommended dose of pioglitazone and glimepiride. Dosing may be different when switching to the combination medicine after using just glimepiride. In this situation, the recommended dosage is 30 mg/2 mg or 30 mg/4 mg a day. If blood sugar levels are not controlled with this dose of pioglitazone and glimepiride, dosing may be gradually increased to a maximum dose of 45 mg/8 mg per day.

 

Pioglitazone and Glimepiride Dosing: An Introduction

Pioglitazone and glimepiride (Duetact®) is a combination of two different diabetes medications: pioglitazone hydrochloride (Actos®) and glimepiride (Amaryl®). The dose of pioglitazone and glimepiride that your healthcare provider prescribes will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • How well your diabetes is controlled
  • Other medical conditions you may have
  • Other medications you are currently taking.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 

Pioglitazone and Glimepiride Dosing for Type 2 Diabetes

If you are switching to pioglitazone and glimepiride from just Amaryl (glimepiride), the recommended starting dose is pioglitazone and glimepiride 30 mg/2 mg or 30 mg/4 mg, taken once daily, depending on much glimepiride you were taking previously. In other words, if you were taking glimepiride 2 mg daily, your pioglitazone and glimepiride dose will be 30 mg/2 mg once daily; if you were taking 4 mg daily, your pioglitazone and glimepiride dose will be 30 mg/4 mg once daily.
 
For everyone else, including people who are switching to pioglitazone and glimepiride from Actos (pioglitazone), the recommended starting dose is pioglitazone and glimepiride 30 mg/2 mg, taken once a day. Because elderly people are more likely to be sensitive to the effects of the glimepiride component in the medication, it is recommended that these people start on glimepiride 1 mg daily instead of pioglitazone and glimepiride. Once they get used to that dose, they can be switched to the combination medicine.
 
The first part of the pioglitazone and glimepiride dosage refers to the pioglitazone amount, while the second part refers to the glimepiride amount (for example, pioglitazone and glimepiride 30 mg/2 mg contains 30 mg pioglitazone and 2 mg glimepiride).
 
Your healthcare provider may slowly increase your pioglitazone and glimepiride dose, if necessary, to control blood sugar. The maximum dose of pioglitazone and glimepiride is 45 mg/8 mg per day.
 
(Pioglitazone and Glimepiride Dosing Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;