Drug Interactions With Pioglitazone

There are a number of medicines that may potentially cause drug interactions with pioglitazone, including nifedipine, oral contraceptives, rifampin, and certain seizure medications. When these medicines are taken together, blood sugar levels may become too low or too high, and the effectiveness of the drugs may be decreased. These drug interactions with pioglitazone may require your healthcare provider to monitor you more closely or adjust your dosage as needed.

Pioglitazone HCl

Pioglitazone Drug Interactions: An Overview

Pioglitazone hydrochloride (Actos^®) can potentially interact with several medicines. Some of the medicines that can lead to pioglitazone drug interactions include:

Atazanavir (Reyataz^®)
Atorvastatin (Lipitor^®)
Certain seizure medications, including

o Carbamazepine (Tegretol^®)

o Fosphenytoin (Cerebyx^®)

o Phenobarbital (Luminal^®)

o Phenytoin (Dilantin^®)

o Primidone (Mysoline^®)

Gemfibrozil (Lopid^®)
Ketoconazole (Nizoral^®)
Midazolam (Versed^®)
Nifedipine (Adalat^®, Procardia^®)
Oral contraceptives
Rifampin (Rifadin^®) or rifapentine (Priftin^®)
Ritonavir (Norvir^®).

Pioglitazone Interactions Explained

Atazanavir (Reyataz)

Taking pioglitazone with atanazavir can increase the level of pioglitazone in your blood, increasing your risk of side effects. Your healthcare provider may need to decrease your dose of pioglitazone.

(Drug Interactions With Pioglitazone Continued: Page 2)