Avandia the Type 2 Diabetes Medication with Side Effects, Risks and Suits



Avandia is a drug that helps lower blood sugar and keep it at that level. The unique thing about this diabetes medication is that it makes use of our body's own natural producing insulin. Avandia is marketed as a stand along anti-diabetic drug by a pharmaceutical company. It is actually Rosiglitazone, which falls under the thiazolidinedione class of drugs. Diabetes disease has afflicted nearly 20 million Americans, and roughly 6 million people are said to live undiagnosed and the 40 million or more Americans who could be considered pre-diabetic. Avandia is an oral antidiabetic drug that improves glycemic control while reducing the rate of insulin level circulation in our body through blood.

Recently Avandia has been under some class action suit controvery. Over 6 million people have taken this drug since it came on the market eight years ago world wide thus far.FDA has been reporting that safety data from various controlled clinical trials proving that there is a potentially significant increase in the risk of heart attack along with heart-related deaths in patients who are taking Avandia. Some statistical reports state that the number is 43 percent - that is, patients taking Avandia has a 43% higher risk of heart attacks and death. Possible benefit to some sufferers of Alzheimer's disease as an off-label uses.

Avandia is marketed by the pharmaceutical drug company GlaxoSmithKline. The company has a $2.5 million settlement of a lawsuit that was filed by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The suit accuses GlaxoSmithKlein for fraudulantly withholding part of the results of studies that showed the the negative reactions of prescribing the antidepressant Paxil to children. The increased risk of heart attack and other cardiac events are listed simply as a blackbox warning on the Avandia label. Other side effects include swelling or fluid retention, weight gain, headache, back pain, inflammation of the sinuses, cough or cold, and increased incidence of bone fractures especially in women.

Avandia dosage prescription is usually performed by the doctor. Typically the daily dose is 4 mg a day taken once a day or 2 mg taken twice a day. However, the doctors often times adjust the 4mg or 8mg dose until the blood sugar level reaches under control. If you are nursing or pregnant, you should be carful about taking Avandia since it can harm unborn baby. Also you shouldn't breastfeed while taking Avandia. There has been various debates and controversy among FDA officials concerning the safety and usage of Avandia; many public interest organization have called upon for an Avandia recall since the drug would likely not be approved based on the information which is now known.

Avandia and Actos both fall in the same class of medication drug categories, and thus there is a possibility that any side effect seen with one might occur with the other pill. Both of them help reverse the insulin resistance by improving the sensitivity of our body's insulin receptors located in muscle, liver, and fat cells. They way our body is able to use insulin much better and efficiently. The improvement in sensitivity is partly done by reducing the levels of inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor alpha, while simulataneously increasing the activity of PPAR gamma receptor. Both also help keep the liver under control and prevent from overproducing glucose.