Avandia side effects

Avandia side effects

Avandia
Brand Name: Avandia
Active Ingredient:   rosiglitazone
Strength(s): 2 mg, 4 mg, and 8 mg
Dosage Form(s):   Tablets
Company Name:    GlaxoSmithKline
Availability:         Prescription only
*Date Approved by the FDA:   May 25, 1999

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What is Avandia used for?
Avandia, in addition to diet and exercise, improves blood sugar
control in adults with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.
Avandia can be used alone or in combination with a
sulfonylurea, metformin, or insulin when diet, exercise, and
one of these agents or diet, exercise, plus Avandia alone are
not enough to control blood sugar.

Who should not take Avandia?
Do not use Avandia for type I diabetes (juvenile diabetes) or
diabetic ketoacidosis.

If you have heart failure, fluid retention, or active liver disease
your health care provider will evaluate you to decide if Avandia
is right for you.

Reports of Patients?Experiences Since Avandia Became
Available:
There have been reports of inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
and elevated liver enzymes. It has not been determined
whether these events are directly related to Avandia. It is
recommended that patients taking Avandia have their liver
enzymes monitored periodically.

General Precautions with Avandia:
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'
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.

Managing your diabetes should include diet control. Caloric
restriction, weight loss as needed, and exercise are essential
for the proper treatment of diabetes because they help
improve insulin sensitivity and the effectiveness of drug
therapy.

What should I tell my doctor or health care provider?
Tell you health care provider if you are trying to become
pregnant, are already pregnant, or are breast-feeding.

Because certain other medication may interact with Avandia,
review all medications that you are taking with your health
care provider, including those that you take without a
prescription.

What are some possible side effects of Avandia? (This list is
not a complete list of side effects reported with Avandia. Your
health care provider can discuss with you a more complete list
of side effects.)

cough or cold
headache
inflammation of the sinuses
back pain
swelling or fluid retention

For more detailed information about Avandia, ask your
health care provider.