Avandamet, Edema and Cardiac Considerations
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.
It should be borne in mind that any increase in the daily dose of Avandamet requires great caution as it can provoke fluid retention in the body which can exacerbate your cardiac condition or lead to heart failure. Avandamet should immediately be discontinued if any deterioration of the cardiac status occurs.
If you concurrently receive Avandamet and sulfonylurea medicines, you should be closely monitored for any signs relating to fluid retention because this triple therapy is known to boost the risk of heart failure. If you already have mild to moderate form of heart failure, you should also be controlled regularly and sometimes such patients have to discontinue the drug, even if they achieve a good glycemic control.
Other combinations of drugs can also be perilous in terms of causing edematous or cardiac effects. For example, the interaction of Avandamet with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen or Diclofenac should be avoided because they appreciably raise the risk of edema.
One more type of edema which is not associated with cardiac considerations, but which may occur if you take Avandamet, is macular edema. Macular edema is the most common type of edema if you suffer from diabetes type 2 and taking Avandamet potentiates the development of the edematous condition of the macular. This type of edema is connected with visual impairment. It is a diabetic complication with swelling in the back of the eye. Peripheral edemas also occur. In some cases visual impairment disappears with time as the body gets adjusted to the medicine. It may take 2-3 months for the body to get adjusted to Avandamet and to start reacting adequately. But in some cases discontinuation of Avandamet is necessary. That is why any signs of visual impairment should be paid immediate attention to because they can lead to a total loss of sight, if aggravated.