Medical Encyclopedia

Though a combo therapy in itself, Avandamet is sometimes prescribed together with other anti-diabetic agents, members of the drug class of sulfonylureas in order to achieve a better result when it comes to the compensation of diabetes and normalizing glucose levels without switching over to insulin.

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile, lose their bone mass and eventually break if left untreated. Usually the fracture risk embraces hands, arms and feet. Osteoporosis is impossible to diagnose until a fracture occurs. In general, though osteoporosis is not immediately associated with the group of diabetes-related complications, diabetes mellitus is considered a serious risk factor for the development of osteoporosis, especially if a patient takes medications which can ramp up the risk of bone fractures.

The diabetes medications belonging to the drug class called thiazolidinediones containing Rosiglitazone are considered linked to higher rates of bone fractures. Thus, Avandamet belongs to the group of medications which increase the risk of fractures.

One more component of Avandamet, Rosiglitazone, can cause your body to retain extra fluid, which consequently leads to swelling (edema) and associated weight gain. Fluid retention is known to cause serious heart problems and can even lead to heart failure. That is why the signs of edema are often reflective of serious cardiac impairment and you should always remember that it is of paramount importance to let your doctor know if you have swelling, especially in the ankles or legs, if you experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing and if you often feel keen fatigue. Cardiac considerations crop up due to reduced blood flow to the heart, which relates to heart-related chest-pain (angina) and myocardial infarction.

The most serious side-effect of Avandamet, rare as it is, is the development of a life-threatening condition known as lactic acidosis. Lactic acidosis is a metabolic complication caused by the accumulation of lactic acid in the body and the concurrent decrease in alkali. In general, lactic acidosis occurs when the cells of the body produce acid faster than it can be metabolized. Thus, the liver cannot convert this lactate buildup into glucose in a normal way.

One of the factors triggering the development of this dangerous condition when the blood gets too acidic is anti-diabetic medications. The other one which often works in conjunction with the medications exerting its adverse effect is the complication of diabetic nephropathy or the conditions of congestive heart failure and liver dysfunction. For that reason Avandamet is strongly contraindicated for patients with these diseases. Among other important contraindications are the conditions of dehydration, whatever the reason for it is - fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, surgeries that you have recently undergone, a heart attack, a stroke, or a severe infection, and episodes of "binge" drinking.

Avandamet is an anti-diabetic drug which combines two powerful anti-diabetic drugs with different mechanisms of action: Rosiglitazone maleate, a member of the drug class of thiazolidinediones and Metformin hydrochloride, a member of the drug class of biguanides. Avandamet is worked out for treating non-insulin dependent diabetes (diabetes type 2). It is effective only under the condition that the function of the production of endogenous insulin is fulfilled by the pancreas, and therefore, Avandamet is essentially not for treating insulin-dependent diabetes.