Avandia and Avandamet are two related drugs made by GlaxoSmithKline to treat Type 2, or adult onset, diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and it is significantly different than Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile diabetes. People who suffer from type 2 diabetes do not make sufficient insulin and in some cases do not respond normally to the insulin their bodies make which means that to treat the disease sufficient insulin must be introduced into the body and the body must be helped to process the insulin. The goal of treating diabetes is to lower and then maintain your blood sugar level. By successfully controlling your blood sugar level to the degree that your body is performing optimally, you will help to completely prevent or substantially delay diabetic complications.
If this does not happen, glucose builds up in the blood which can lead to serious medical conditions including kidney disease or failure, amputation or limbs and even blindness. Diabetes is also closely linked to cardiovascular stress and to heart disease. Thankfully, high blood sugar can be lowered and managed by diet and exercise, and by a number of medicines taken by mouth, and by insulin shots.
Avandamet is one such medication and it combines two glucose-lowering medications, rosiglitazone and metformin, in one tablet. Metformin decreases the production of sugar by your liver while rosiglitazone improves you body’s response to its naturally produced insulin and therefore your body does not have to work to make more insulin. These medicines work together very effectively to help control your blood sugar.
A small number of people who have taken metformin, which is one of the two main ingredients in Avandamet, have developed lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis is caused by a lactic acid build up in the blood. Lactic acidosis is common in people with kidney disease and kidney failure. Additionally, the FDA and GlaxoSmithKline are warning medical professionals about reports of new or worsening diabetic eye complications in sufferers of Type 2 diabetes that are taking Avandamet or Avandia and who suffer from Avandamet side effects. This diabetic eye complication, known as macula edema, occurs when blood vessels leak in the eye. If you have blurry vision or are having trouble discerning colors and you are taking Avandamet, you should contact your doctor immediately. According to GlaxoSmithKline the reports of this edema are rare and most patients have also reported simultaneously suffering from edema in their legs and feet. All of these issues have stopped or have been improved by a reduction in the dosage of Avandia or Avandamet or by cessation of taking the drug altogether.
Over 5 million people worldwide have taken Avandia and approximately 800,000 have taken Avandamet. If you have experienced any injury or eye problems as a result of taking Avandia or Avandamet, or if you have experience Avandamet side effects you should contact a qualified defective drug attorney, personal injury attorney or product liability attorney as soon as possible. In some of these cases a statute of limitations exists and if you have been injured because of a drug defect, you may have the right to get compensation and redress for loss of pay, pain and suffering and any medical costs you have incurred or will incur as a result of your injury.