Short answer: Actoplus Met comes as one tablet strength, 15 mg pioglitazone with 850 mg metformin, taken with meals. Most people start at one tablet once daily; people on metformin may start once or twice daily. It is raised gradually up to three tablets a day (45 mg pioglitazone and 2,550 mg metformin). The label says not to double the next dose after a missed one.
This is what the FDA label says. Follow your prescriber. Your prescriber may use a different dose or pace than the label's standard schedule.
What Actoplus Met is approved for: Actoplus Met combines pioglitazone, a thiazolidinedione, with metformin, a biguanide. It is approved, along with diet and exercise, to improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes (section 1). It is not recommended for type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.
Source
ACTOPLUS MET (pioglitazone and metformin hydrochloride) tablets, for oral use, prescribing information and Medication Guide. Takeda Pharmaceuticals America. DailyMed, version published August 24, 2026. DailyMed setid 42e49120-6f3f-11db-9fe1-0800200c9a66
Actoplus Met is taken by mouth with meals to reduce stomach side effects from metformin. Each tablet has 15 mg pioglitazone and 850 mg metformin (section 2.1).
Liver tests (ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase and total bilirubin) are taken before starting (section 2.1).
A total of three tablets a day may be taken in divided doses three times a day to reduce stomach side effects (section 2.2).
The table below is the label's schedule, from the Dosage and Administration section. Numbers are copied exactly; the section is in brackets.
| Current Regimen | Starting Dosage of ACTOPLUS MET |
|---|---|
| Not treated with either pioglitazone or metformin HCl | One tablet orally once daily |
| Metformin HCl | One tablet orally once or twice daily. Select a dosage that is as close as possible to the current dosage of metformin HCl |
| Pioglitazone | One tablet orally once daily |
| Pioglitazone and metformin HCl | Select a dosage that is as close as possible to the current dosage of pioglitazone and metformin HCl while not exceeding three tablets orally per day |
Each tablet is 15 mg of pioglitazone and 850 mg of metformin HCl. Kidney impairment and heart failure change the dose (sections 2.3 and 2.4).
| Situation | Actoplus Met dosage |
|---|---|
| Maximum recommended total daily dosage | Three tablets per day (45 mg of pioglitazone and 2,550 mg of metformin HCl) |
| Preexisting NYHA Class I or II congestive heart failure | Starting dosage 15 mg of pioglitazone and 850 mg of metformin |
| With gemfibrozil or other strong CYP2C8 inhibitors | Maximum one tablet (15 mg of pioglitazone and 850 mg of metformin HCl) once daily |
The dose is raised gradually, as needed, after checking response and tolerability.
Kidney function is assessed before starting and periodically after. Actoplus Met is contraindicated with an eGFR below 30 mL/min, and starting it at 30 to 45 is not recommended. If eGFR later falls below 45, benefit and risk are assessed; below 30, it is stopped.
After starting or a dose increase, people are watched for fluid retention, weight gain, swelling and heart failure. If heart failure develops, stopping Actoplus Met or lowering the pioglitazone dose is considered.
It is stopped at the time of, or before, an iodinated contrast scan with an eGFR of 30 to 60, a history of liver disease, alcoholism or heart failure, or intra-arterial contrast. eGFR is rechecked 48 hours after, and it is restarted if kidney function is stable.
Tablets are stored at 25 C (77 F), with excursions from 15 to 30 C allowed, in a tightly closed container protected from moisture and humidity.
If a dose is missed, the next dose is not doubled. The Medication Guide says: if you miss a dose of Actoplus Met, take your next dose as prescribed unless your healthcare provider tells you differently. Do not take two doses at one time the next day (printed without a closing period).
More on this: missed a dose of Actoplus Met.
From metformin, Actoplus Met starts at one tablet once or twice daily, as close as possible to the current metformin dose. From pioglitazone, it starts at one tablet once daily. From both, the dose is as close as possible to the current doses, up to three tablets a day.
In Dose Track you set up Actoplus Met as a protocol with the dose and schedule your prescriber gave you. A protocol can hold dose steps, each with its own dose and length in days or weeks, so a step-up plan like the one on the label can be entered once and the app moves to the next step on its own. Reminders follow the schedule, and every dose is logged with the date and time, so you can see which step you are on and when your last dose was. The app follows what you enter; it does not choose or change a dose.
This page is what the FDA label says, in plain words. It is not medical advice. Follow your prescriber, and ask them or your pharmacist about anything here.