Avandia Information
Avandia is an antihyperglycemic agent. It helps the body respond better to
insulin and it reduces the amount of sugar produced by the liver. It can help
control blood sugar levels.
Avandia (Rosiglitazone) is taken, along with diet and exercise, for the treatment
of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type II diabetes). Avandia may also
be used with a sulfonylurea (e.g., Diabeta, Glucotrol, Micronase, others), metformin
(Glucophage), or insulin when diet and exercise plus any one of these medicines
alone do not result in adequate blood sugar control.
Avandia is in the same class of drugs as Rezulin, which has been associated
with rare but serious liver injury, including liver failure leading to transplant
or death. Because Avandia's liver safety profile is not fully determined yet,
your doctor will do blood tests that evaluate your liver before starting you
on Avandia. These blood tests should be repeated every two months for the first
year, then regularly after that.
Call your health care provider right away if you develop nausea, vomiting,
stomach pain, a feeling of tiredness or having no energy, loss of appetite,
dark urine, or jaundice (yellow coloring of eyes and skin). These may be symptoms
of liver problems.
Patients who experience an unusually rapid increase in weight or retain fluid
(edema) or who develop shortness of breath or other symptoms of heart failure
while on Avandia should immediately report these symptoms to their health care
provider.
When taking Avandia with other oral diabetes medicines, there is a risk of
your blood sugar becoming dangerously low. Ask your health care provider about
symptoms of low blood sugar, conditions that make low blood sugar more likely,
and what to do if you get it. Make sure to explain to family members.
If you are a woman who has not reached menopause but have not had menstrual
periods, you may become pregnant unless you use an effective method of birth
control. Avandia, like other drugs in this class, may cause insulin resistant
women to start ovulating again.
Women should tell their doctor if they notice any changes in their monthly
menstrual cycle.
During periods of stress on the body, such as fever, trauma, infection, or
surgery, your medication requirements may change; contact your health care provider
promptly.
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