Avandia?

[Jane1]

Hi all

My partner has Type 2 diabetes, he let his symptoms go for a while without medication but his blood sugar increased.  So he went back on the medication about 2 months ago.  He is taking Avandia 4mg twice a day, his GP said whilst presribing that 'the jury is still out on Avandia.' and he would review it next month. This made me google the drug and all I am getting is Avandia and lawsuits in relation to heart disease.  Yes I would say the jury have retired on this one, what worries me more is that for about the last 3 weeks my partner has had pins and needles in his left arm and some pain.  Should he stop these drugs now and look for an alternative, or am I being carried away by the hype.  Sorry I haven't looked through the site to see if this has come up before.  It is my first time posting to this forum but I am scared for him

Jane

[strawberri]

gosh that is terrible what happened to u, thank goodness u are ok. I am scared to death of Byetta, my dr wants me on it and I have it sitting in the frig. everday the byetta website has more fearful symptom people are asking about... Something is screaming at me everytime i weaken and think for a sec should I take it and see. My huband says NO until u try everything else and exhaust all your options then maybe but right now forget it....it was hormones first, then statins and now diabetic med's.i took avandia and I felt like I was dying, my heart felt like it was struggling to beat. I felt so weak. I was on Metformin and I lived on the toilet and then bleeding from the other end, then anti infectives. I am the side affect Queen...All thes chemicals they mix together, it is frightening...

[strawberri]

For all the reason of the bad new on Avandia, go to the dr and say, LOOK I AM WORRIED AND I WANT U TO GIVE ME A SAFE CHOICE OF MEDICINE TO TAKE. Al these new meds for diabetes get such short trails, the patients end up being the ginney pigs. Its his quility of life we are taking about, if he feels strange or has symptoms of any kind go to the Dr. and get off it, don't wait for something to go wrong....

[deb536]

Pins, needles, and pain in the left arm would have me calling the doctor to report those symptoms.  Avandia has had a lot of bad press lately.  My personal experience was with Actos (same family of drugs).  At the age of 34, I was informed that I had congestive heart failure due to the medication.  That medication had to go, along with the doctor who didn't listen to what I was telling him.  The heart failure went away with the medication, thank goodness!

[often]

I think that anytime there are new symptoms or reactions to a med, the doc should be made aware of it.  Is this something to be worried about.  I don't know.  Is it something to discuss with the doc...definitely.

I think I would have had questions as soon as I heard the doc say the jury is still out.  If that is the case, then have the doc prescribe something that has been around for awhile and has proven itself.  Just because they come out with new med, does not mean they are better than the old tried and true.  I think your partner needs to have a sit down with the doc and see what else is available.  And find out if his symptoms are something to be concerned about.