Competact

GP and surgeon, Dr Shane Charles (MBBS, MRCS, PgDip SEM) provides a simple explanation of the medication below:

'Competact is a medication used in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus that includes a combination of metformin and pioglitazone. '.

If you think Competact is a treatment that can help you, start an online consultation now for a registered prescriber to review. If treatment is deemed suitable, they can prescribe it, and we can deliver it to you from the comfort of your own home with a range of convenient delivery and payment options for you to choose from. If you have any questions about a medication, you should always consult your doctor with any questions prior to starting treatment, to ensure that it is safe and suitable for you.

Competact tablets contain two active ingredients: metformin hydrochloride and pioglitazone hydrochloride. Both of these medicines are used to control blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

Competact is for use in people with type 2 diabetes, particularly those who are overweight, whose blood sugar is not controlled by the maximum tolerated dose of metformin alone.

Metformin hydrochloride and pioglitazone hydrochloride are the active ingredients of Competact tablets.

Metformin hydrochloride is an antidiabetic medicine known as a biguanide. It works in various ways to lower the amount of sugar in the blood. First, it reduces the amount of sugar produced by the cells in the liver. Second, it increases the sensitivity of muscle cells to insulin, enabling these cells to remove sugar from the blood more efficiently. Finally, it also delays the absorption of sugar from the intestines into the bloodstream after eating.

Pioglitazone is an antidiabetic medicine known as a glitazone or thiazolidinedione. It helps in blood sugar control by increasing the sensitivity of the liver, fat and muscle cells to insulin, enabling the cells to remove sugar from the blood more effectively. Pioglitazone also reduces the amount of glucose produced by the liver, and preserves the functioning of the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.

The combination of the two medicines helps to control the blood sugar levels both directly after meals and between meals.

Adding Pioglitazone to metformin gave an improvement in the control of blood sugar, with levels of HbA1C which are further decreased by 0.64 to 0.89T compared to the levels of metformin alone.

Competact, which combines metformin and pioglitazone, is effective in reducing the blood sugar of a person with type 2 diabetes.

One Competact tablet should be taken by mouth twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, regularly each day. The tablets can be taken with or without a meal, but if you experience an upset stomach after taking a tablet, you can minimize the upset by taking it with food or just after food. Swallow the tablet with a drink of water.

If you forget to take a dose of Competact, just leave out the missed dose and take the next dose as usual. Do not double the dose to make up for the missed dose.

While taking Competact, it is important that you follow the diet and exercise as advised by your doctor. Competact only helps to control your blood sugar level and should not be used as a substitute for eating healthy and performing your regular exercise.

You should avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking Competact. Alcohol can increase your risk of low blood sugar and lactic acidosis.

While taking the medication, you should be checking your blood sugar from time to time. Also, check your weight regularly and inform your doctor if you gain any weight because Pioglitazone can result in increased weight.  Consult your doctor if you experience shortness of breath, swelling in the ankles, or rapid and excessive weight gain while taking Competact.

You may need to have an eye test while taking this medication, particularly any new or worsening problems with blurred vision.

Metformin causes a rare but serious condition called lactic acidosis, which is an excess of lactic acid in the blood. It is likely to occur in people with decreased kidney function.

Your kidney function should be monitored regularly while you are on this medication, especially if you are elderly or have any existing kidney problems. Your liver should also be checked regularly.

Your doctor will stop your taking of this medication temporarily if you are going to have a certain type of X-ray that involves an injection of iodinated dye. Consult your doctor about your diabetic treatment before you undergo surgery that will require a general anaesthetic.

Competact dosage

Competact tablet should be taken twice a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, regularly every day.

Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual user differently. Not everyone who takes Competact tablets will experience the possible side effects.

The following are the very common side effects of Competact:

• Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, or abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite

The following are the common side effects of Competact:

• Weight gain
• Excessive fluid retention in the body
• Upper airway infections
• Anaemia
• Decreased sense of touch, numbness
• A headache
• Metallic taste
• Joint pain
• Visual disturbances
• Increased chance of breaking a bone in women
• Blood in the urine
• Impotence

The following are the uncommon side effects of Competact:

• Inflammation of the sinuses
• Insomnia
• Excessive gas in the stomach and intestines
• Bladder cancer

The following are the very rare side effects of Competact:

• Skin reactions such as rash
• Decreased absorption of vitamin B12 during long-term use
• Elevated levels of lactic acid in the blood

The following side effects of Competact that may occur in unknown frequency:

• Swelling of the back of the eye
• Inflammation of the liver

Competact should be used with caution in the following:

• The elderly
• Those with heart disease
• Those with low haemoglobin levels in the blood
• Those with porphyrias
• Those with macular oedema
• Those who smoke or used to smoke
• Those who received radiation treatment in the pelvic area
• Those with a history of exposure to cancer-causing agents.
• Women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Some individuals with certain medical conditions should not take Competact. Discuss your medical conditions with your doctor to find out if you could safely take Competact tablets.

Competact should be not used during pregnancy because the safety of pioglitazone has not been established in pregnant women. Control of diabetes in pregnancy is usually achieved through the use of insulin.

Metformin passes into the breast milk although it is not sure if pioglitazone will. Breastfeeding mothers should get the advice of their doctor before taking Competact.

It is important that you share with your doctor a list of all the medications you are currently taking for him to check if any of them will interact with Competact.

You can safely buy Competact online at UK Meds. You will first need to have an online consultation with a pharmacist independent prescriber before your order will be supplied. The online consultation will ensure that Competact is the right medication for your medical condition.