Medical Encyclopedia

Avandia is an oral medicine designed to treat diabetes type 2 (non-insulin dependent diabetes) both as a monotherapy or in combination with Metformin or sulfonylurea medicines. The active ingredient of Avandia is Rosiglitazone maleate. It belongs to the group of thiazolidinediones - a special medication class worked out as an adjunctive therapy to treat diabetes type 2 alongside a healthy diet and exercises.

Diabetes is a disease with potentially devastating consequences if it is left unmanaged. That is why new generations of medications are constantly being worked out in order to help diabetes sufferers overcome the disease and inhibit the development of grave diabetes complications. Avandia is such a recent type of anti-diabetic agents primarily targeted at increasing insulin sensitivity.

Thus, Avandia is an insulin sensitizer that works by making the cells more sensitive to its own natural insulin. Avandia decreases the glucose content of the blood by lowering insulin resistance and improving the way that the body responds to its own insulin, by improving the course of metabolic processes in the body and by decreasing the level of free fatty acids in the blood. Avandia improves the function of beta-cells of which the increase in the mass of the pancreatic islets is indicative. It is very important that unlike many medicines for diabetes mellitus Avandia prevents the development of the pronounced hypoglycemic effect. Avandia is also said to decrease the production of insulin precursors which are considered to be risk factors of the development of cardiovascular diseases. Besides, it also must be mentioned that Avandia significantly slows down the development of kidney failure, but at early stages of this complication.

The dose of Avandia and the scheme of taking it are fixed individually. The daily dose is taken one time or two times irrespective of the meal time. The initial dose for adults is 4 mg per day. If in 6-8 weeks the medication does not prove effective, it is recommended to increase the dosage up to 8 mg per day.

Avandia is sustained well and it does not cause any serious side-effects no matter whether it is taken as a monotherapy or as a combo therapy together with Metformin or sulfonylurea medicines. Some of the characteristic side-effects which may appear include the infections of the upper respiratory tract and headaches, though the cause-and-effect connection between Avandia and the indicated effects has not been proved. Besides, there is evidence that taking Avandia is associated with the increase in cholesterol levels. Edemas, mild to moderate, occur if Avandia is used in combination with insulin. In general, it is very rarely prescribed as an addition to insulin therapy and is not essentially for treating diabetes type 1.

The most typical contraindications include liver dysfunction, pregnancy, the lactation period, impaired cardial function and impaired kidney function. Besides, as it has been said, Avandia should not be used by patients with diabetes type 1. Neither is it recommended to use Avandia to treat diabetic ketoacidosis.

Despite some of the side-effects and contraindications, Avandia is an effective medicine that procures an important treatment for large numbers of patients who use it to manage diabetes.