What is Avandia?
(See detailed Medicine Prescription Information here)
Avandia is a generic prescription medication called pioglitazone, is used to treat type 2 diabetes, and helps your body become more responsive to the insulin already present in it. It belongs to the thiazolidinedione (TZD) class and is sold under the trade name Actos.
How will Avandia help?
For individuals with type II diabetes. For best results, Avandia should be taken in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise to control blood sugar levels.
How does Avandia work?
Condition where insufficient insulin is produced by body or abnormal responses to the insulin that their bodies produce are symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Pancreas produces and releases insulin in blood stream allowing blood sugar into the cells that your body for use as energy. When a person has type 2 diabetes, body cells become resistant to insulin. As a result, your body make more insulin to try to get cells to respond. This will lead to imbalance and your blood sugar will rise leading to type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar can cause serious health problems causing amputation or affecting your heart, vision, and kidneys.
Human body naturally produce insulin. Avandia does not affect the amount of insulin produced by body. However, the medicine is designed to decrease the amount of sugar the released by liver in the blood. It is used for treatment of type 2 diabetes only. Avandia can be given alongwith other medicine but this resulted in significant reductions in hyperglycemia compared with either of these agents alone.
How is Avandia Stored?
Each tablet of Avandia contains rosiglitazone as the maleate as follows:
- 2 mg
- 4 mg
- 8 mg
It should be stored temperature between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F) in a tight, light-resistant container.
How to take Avandia?
Different people may require a different dosage. Be sure to take your medication exactly as per your doctor instructions. Based on your present lifestyle, your tolerance, and the drug’s efficacy, your dose will probably be prescribed for you.
Pentagonal film-coated TILTAB tablet contains rosiglitazone as the maleate as follows:
- 2 mg – debossed with GSK on one side and 2 on the other.
- 4 mg – debossed with GSK on one side and 4 on the other.
- 8 mg – debossed with GSK on one side and 8 on the other.
Starting dose of Avandia is 4 mg as a single daily dose. It may be divided into 2 doses. After 8 to 12 weeks of treatment, as determined by reduction in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), the dose may be increased to 8 mg daily.
Note: Do not alter your medication your doctor has prescribed if you find something different from the ones listed here. It is crucial that you take this medication exactly as your doctor has advised.
The medicine should be taken orally with meal. Doctor will prescribe the dosage of medicine.
Note – Do not cut or break the tablets before consuming; consume them whole. Continue to take Avandia as long as your doctor instructs you to. It’s necessary to take each dose as prescribed.
What are Warnings and Precautions of Avandia?
The following adverse reactions are discussed in more detail elsewhere in the labelling:
- Cardiac failure
- Major adverse cardiovascular events
- Edema
- Weight gain
- Hepatic effects
- Macular edema
- Fractures
- Hematologic effects
The most common side effects of Avandia include:
- headache
- nausea
- nasopharyngitis (inflammation of pharynx and nasal cavities)
- diarrhea
- cold symptoms
- fatigue (lack of energy)
- Heart issues – AVANDIA is not recommended in patients with symptomatic heart failure.
- Weight gain – Medication can result is weight gain probably due to fluid retention and fat accumulation in human body. In postmarketing experience, there have been reports of unusually rapid increases in weight and increases in excess of that generally observed in clinical trials.
Discuss with your doctor any adverse effect – side effect that bothers you or does not go away. For medical advice about side effects, contact your doctor.
Remember that regular physical exercise is crucial to treating diabetes or managing prediabetes, along with your diet planning, weight management, and medications. Because your cells become more responsive to insulin while you are active, your blood glucose, also known as blood sugar, can be lowered more successfully. Take your medications regularly and follow up with your healthcare specialist.