dapagliflozin vs pioglitazone
Side-by-side comparison of dapagliflozin and pioglitazone. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
minor Known Drug Interaction
No dosing adjustments required for the following: Oral Antidiabetic Agents Metformin (1000 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Pioglitazone (45 mg) 50 mg ↔ ↔ Sitagliptin (100 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Glimepiride (4 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Voglibose (0.2 mg three times daily) 10 mg ↔ ↔ Other Medications Hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg) 50 mg ↔ ↔ Bumetanide (1 mg) 10 mg once daily for 7 days ↔ ↔ Valsartan (320 mg) 20 mg ↓12% [↓3%, ↓20%] ↔ Simvastatin (40 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Anti-infective Agent Rifampin (600 mg once daily for 6 days) 10 mg ↓7% [↓22%, ↑11%] ↓22% [↓27%, ↓17%] Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agent Mefenamic Acid (loading dose of...
Recommendation: No dose changes are needed when taking these two medications together.
Farxiga
Actos
Dapagliflozin (Farxiga) helps lower blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It also helps adults with heart failure or chronic kidney disease.
Pioglitazone (Actos) is a medicine that helps control blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. It works along with diet and exercise.
This medicine can help adults with chronic kidney disease by reducing the risk of kidney problems, heart problems, and needing to go to the hospital for heart failure. It can also help adults with heart failure by reducing the risk of heart problems and needing urgent care for heart failure. For adults with type 2 diabetes, it can help lower the risk of needing to go to the hospital for heart failure.
Pioglitazone is used to help manage blood sugar in adults who have type 2 diabetes. It is used in addition to diet and exercise. This medicine will not work for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.
Dapagliflozin is a type of medicine called an SGLT2 inhibitor. It works in the kidneys to remove extra sugar from your body through your urine. This helps to lower your blood sugar levels.
Pioglitazone belongs to a class of drugs called thiazolidinediones. It makes your body more sensitive to insulin, which helps lower blood sugar. It works by activating a certain receptor in your body called PPAR gamma.
- • Yeast infections of the vagina
- • Common cold
- • Urinary tract infections
- • Upper respiratory infection
- • Headache
- • Sinus infection
- • Muscle pain
- • Sore throat
- Death 7,017
- Tiredness 2,250
- Feeling sick to your stomach 2,218
- Feeling lightheaded 2,096
- Loose stools 2,074
- Cancer of the bladder 8,736
- Increased blood sugar 3,385
- Feeling sick to your stomach 2,917
- Weight loss 2,084
- Loose or watery stools 1,680
Dapagliflozin can cause a serious condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), especially if you have type 1 diabetes. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and trouble breathing. If you have these symptoms, stop taking this medicine and get medical help right away. This medicine can also cause serious infections in the area between your genitals and anus. Get medical help right away if you have pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling in this area, along with a fever or feeling unwell.
Pioglitazone can cause or worsen heart failure in some people. Watch for signs like rapid weight gain, shortness of breath, and swelling. If you have heart failure, it should be managed, and stopping or lowering the dose of pioglitazone should be considered. If you have severe heart failure (NYHA Class III or IV), you should not start taking pioglitazone.
This medicine may harm your unborn baby, especially during the second and third trimesters. It is not recommended while breastfeeding.
It is not known if pioglitazone can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is also not known if pioglitazone passes into breast milk, so talk to your doctor about breastfeeding while taking this medicine.
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How to Read This dapagliflozin vs pioglitazone Comparison
dapagliflozin is classified in the SGLT2 Inhibitor drug class, while pioglitazone sits within the Thiazolidinedione class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, dapagliflozin has 15,655 submissions while pioglitazone has 18,802. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to these drugs do not significantly affect each other's levels in the body.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between dapagliflozin and pioglitazone - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.