Avandia Side Effects
What are the Side Effects of Avandia?
There are several side effects associated with the use of Avandia. The most serious Avandia side effects are an increased risk of congestive heart failure (CHF), heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular disease.
Potentially fatal heart problems are not the only life-threatening side effects of Avandia. An increased risk of liver failure, sometimes causing death, also has been linked to Avandia use. The most commonly reported side effects of Avandia are headache and cold-like symptoms.
The following side effects have been linked to Avandia:
- Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- Heart Attack (myocardial infarction, MI)
- Stroke
- Chest Pain (angina, myocardial ischemia)
- Swelling (edema)
- Weight Gain
- Liver Failure
- Nausea and/or Vomitting
- Stomach Pain
- Unexplained or Unusual Tiredness (fatigue)
- Loss of Appetite
- Dark Urine
- Yellowing of the Skin or Whites of Eyes (jaundice)
- Blurred Vision, Impaired Vision and Blindness
- Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
- Broken Bones (fractures)
- Low Red Blood Cell Count (anemia)
- Low Blood Sugar (hypoglycemia)
- Headache
- Cold-Like Symptoms
The Avandia side effects warning information provided to doctors prescribing the diabetes drug and diabetics taking it includes the following:
What is the most important information I should know about AVANDIA?
AVANDIA is a prescription medicine to treat adults with diabetes. It helps to control high blood sugar. (See “What is AVANDIA?”). It is important that you take AVANDIA exactly how it is prescribed by your doctor to best treat your diabetes.
AVANDIA may cause serious side effects, including:
New or worse heart failure
- AVANDIA can cause your body to keep extra fluid (fluid retention), which leads to swelling (edema) and weight gain. Extra body fluid can make some heart problems worse or lead to heart failure. Heart failure means your heart does not pump blood well enough.
- If you have severe heart failure, you cannot start AVANDIA.
- If you have heart failure with symptoms (such as shortness of breath or swelling), even if these symptoms are not severe, AVANDIA may not be right for you.
Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following:
- swelling or fluid retention, especially in the ankles or legs
- shortness of breath or trouble breathing, especially when you lie down
- an unusually fast increase in weight
- unusual tiredness
Other heart problems
AVANDIA may raise the risk of heart problems related to reduced blood flow to the heart. These include possible increases in the risk of heart-related chest pain (angina) or "heart attack" (myocardial infarction). This risk seemed to be higher in people who took AVANDIA with insulin or with nitrate medicines. Most people who take insulin or nitrate medicines should not also take AVANDIA.
- If you have chest pain or a feeling of chest pressure, get medical help right away, no matter what diabetes medicines you are taking.
- People with diabetes have a greater risk for heart problems. It is important to work with your doctor to manage other conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.