Chances are if you or a love one take Avandia, you have heard this news. It seems that many of my patients heard this news before I did and called in a panic wanting to stop their medication. It reminded me  of when the Women’s Health Initiative came out saying that Estrogens were dangerous. Women around the country immediately stopped their HRT (and had all sorts of side effects from the abrupt cessation of estrogen).

While no medication is free from potential side effects, let’s stop for a moment and breathe. Let’s look at what we have.

1. Researchers did a meta-analysis of several other studies looking at Avandia. For those of you who don’t know, a meta-analysis just means they looked at other studies and brought the data together into one document (more or less a simplified description).
2. In all cases, those studies (I believe) were looking at the effects of Avandia on blood sugar…not cardiovascular complications.
3. People with diabetes already have a high risk of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular events. To determine if a medication is at the route of increased heart attacks, one must design the study to be able to filter out the heart disease due to diabetes vs medication.
4. None of the studies that were looked at, included Avandia’s close relative, Actos.
5. Depending on how the numbers are “crunched”, apparently different people were coming up with different data. (One of the things I find fascinating about studies…the way you ask the question, can determine it’s outcome).

The American Diabetic Association and the American Heart Association, issued statements stating that these are questions that certainly need to be asked (effects of Avandia and Actos on cardiovascular risk), but at the present time, urge individuals taking these medications to discuss this with their providers and not just stop the medication.

Currently, already in the works, is a study (RECORD) that is looking at cardiovascular risk in those taking Avandia. That study is expected to be complete with results available by 2009.

In the meantime, if you are looking for the “magic bullet” for diabetes care, I highly recommend taking a good long look at your diet and how you can increase your activity. In most cases, taking action on diet and exercise provide maximum benefits with almost no side effects. And often, it reduces the needs for the various medications that most people with diabetes have to be in, including medication for blood pressure and cholesterol.

(c)2007 Barbara C Phillips, NP