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.

Essentially, sulfonylurea medicines are oral hypoglycemic agents prescribed for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. The mechanism of their action focuses on increasing the secretion of insulin by the pancreas. In combination with Avandamet, sulfonylurea agents augment the effect of Metformin, one of the two major constituents of Avandamet and function in accordance with their major objective - lowering the level of glucose in the blood. On the one hand, more insulin is secreted to normalize high glucose levels, and on the other hand, due to Rosiglitazone muscle and fat cells become more sensitive to insulin the body produces which eventually results in better insulin uptake.

But it should be kept in mind that sulfonylureas alone tend to overwork the pancreas and it gradually becomes unable to secrete the necessary amount of insulin. This is where the combination therapy may prove to be effective both ways since Avandamet containing Metformin usually helps sidestep beta-cells burnout.

The negative side of such a combination therapy may manifest itself in abnormally low blood sugar levels - the condition known as hypoglycemia. Metformin alone, even taken as a constituent element of Avandamet, normally does not produce hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes. But with concurrent use of sulfonylureas hypoglycemic episodes can occur and therefore a patient must be very careful about the symptoms to be able to prevent the development of a hypoglycemic coma. It is recommended to always carry a reliable source of glucose to be able to quickly recover from a hypoglycemic shock.

There are two generations of sulfonylurea agents differing from each other in the way they are eliminated from the body. The agents making up the first generation are Dymelor, Diabinese (chlorpropamide), Tolinase (tolazamide) and Orinase (tolbutamide). The agents of the second generation are Glucotrol and Glucotrol XL, Amaryl (glimepiride), DiaBeta, Micronase and Glynase PresTab - the three last brand names referring to the generic product glyburide. The second generation of sulfonylureas does not require such a frequent intake as it is with the first generation. And it is preferred over the agents of the first generation in case you have your kidney function impaired. But both generations can be combined with Avandamet.