Avandia – Common Confounding FAQs Resolved

Storm rages high over medication Avandia and its likely connections to cardiovascular problems. The recent news has raised enormous doubts amongst Avandia users. Below mentioned are prevalent queries regarding the drug, inclusive of what must or must not be done in case of those people who take Avandia.

What are the worries regarding Avandia and cardiovascular safety?

According to record study backed by GSK, Avandia appeared to raise the chances of cardiac failure among particular patients; however the study failed to detect any additional risk of cardiac attack or fatality. This finding is disparate to a few, though not all trials. Outcomes of a meta-study conducted in 2007 elicited a bout of apprehensions regarding Avandia, indicated that those individuals who took Avandia were at a greater likelihood of suffering from heart attack and fatality due to heart causes. A trial conducted during the end of 2009 showed that the chance of fatality and heart attack in older age group diabetic individuals appeared to be more in those who took Avandia as compared to those who took Actos, another drug belonging to the analogous category.

However, no concrete conclusions have been able to be drawn from such studies.

What is advisable for Avandia users?

Firstly, Avandia users must not abruptly halt taking their medication without seeking medical consultation on the same. The health care expert could be queried regarding continuing usage of the drug or in case the patient desires if it is doable to change to another medication. It is also important that the drug guide that is dispensed at the chemist store alongside the drug must be thoroughly read for completely understanding the advantages and risk factors of Avandia. Finally, the FDA has requested all who have experienced any form of side-effects one believes are linked to the medication to be promptly reported to the agency.

Why is it risky to abruptly halt intake of Avandia prior to seek medical advice?

The major reasons for not suddenly stopping the intake of Avandia drug are:

• Diabetes that is not treated or not under control holds a significant risk of leading to complications.
• All drugs have the likelihood of detrimental side-effects, however the risks of high diabetes means that one should not take the risk of altering one’s drug schedule prior to seeking medical opinion about it.
• In case not treated, type 2 diabetes could cause a host of problems like elevated blood glucose levels leading to repeatedly urinating, feeling increasingly thirsty and in grave scenarios lead to coma.

What are the other choices in case one wishes to halt intake of Avandia?

Actos, a medication from analogous category like Avantia, manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals appears to function analogously. The labelling in both the medications have caveats that the medications could lead to or aggravate congestive cardiac failure, however  there is no proof till date that Actos is contributory to cardiac attacks, stroke, angina or fatality as is the anxiety regarding Avandia.

More concrete responses on Actos and Avandia’s safety could be coming from a large-scaled GSK-backed and FDA-consented clinical study known as TIDE, for which the medicine manufacturers are presently registering entrants. However, even this is not sans debate due to likelihood of cardiovascular risk for trial candidates. FDA intends on holding a public convention during July when the reassessment of the drug is concluded.

Do Avandia users need to undergo heart checking in case they have been using the drug for quite a while?

As diabetes is known to carry the risk of heart issues, it is crucial to decode a diabetic person’s cardiovascular-linked risk aspects irrespective of whether Avandia has been taken or not. Factually, diabetics have analogous risk of suffering from heart attack as that of an individual who has in past suffered from a heart attack. Hence, diabetics must be aware of what their cholesterol and blood pressure levels are so that requisite damage control could be done.