Information you have isn't entirely correct. Actos and Glucaphage do the same thing, Actos has been shown to cause weight gain in clinical studies with diet therapy. Diet therapy I'm sure would be the typical ADA sugar diet.

Both of these drugs, however, decrease the amount of insulin in the bloodstream and also the amount of insulin your body needs. Combine that with a low carb eating plan, and there is even less insulin and very suddenly, you can lose weight very well. This was the exact advice I got from my first Internal Medicine doctor.

glyberide (<-sp?) would be the drug I would try to get off first. Increasing insulin production will cause weight gain (fat weight), while Actos will cause water gain (which I have lost 4 pounds since being on Actos 30mg myself).

The main problem it seems to me is the going low. Sounds too me like he is overmedicated if he can go low at all. Glucaphage and Actos alone are very unlikely to cause this to happen.

That's my take on it, but as usual, get with his doctor and see what he/her opinion is.

Good luck to you,
wsgts