| Key to ratings for avandia: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
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| 1 | type 2 | My Mother passed away after taking this med. Side effects to the Max. Not something I would wish on my worst enemy. Could it of been prevented if My Family And I were more informed about that drug avandia???????? | I wish I would have known about the side effects with the propper warning!!!! | F | 59 | 4 years | 10/10/2009 | 3 | diabetes type 2 | Weight gain; heaviness in legs. Increased belly fat. Suspected it as cause of new muscle pain I previously did not have. Knocking myself out trying to control weight and still gained. This kind of gain is not how I normally gain weight. | Weight continued to climb in spite of increased exercise: 7 days a week with excellent diet control. Lost weight when Dr. took me off it in '07 scare. Blood sugar levels went up and he put me back on it. Weight came back. | F | 57 | 5 years | 6/19/2009 | 1 | type II diabetes | constant hunger pangs- 10 weight gain in 2 months | F | 57 | 3 months | 6/14/2009 | 1 | type 2 diabetic | After taking 8mg for 7 months, legs swollen to twice the size, fluid retention, heart flutters, pain in all joints, swollen knees, severe weight gain 2 stone in 7 months. difficulty in walking. Was taking 4 mg for 7 years symptoms started from then. As i have arthritis was told to get weight off, so went on diet and exercise program still weight going on . After reading other comments i am not going to take rosiglitazone ( Avandia) no more. | F | 58 | 7 years | 6/7/2009 | 1 | Type II Diabetes | I was just put on the avandia about 3 weeks ago along with 2000 mg of metaformin. At first my doctor had me take 1000mg of metaformin and 4 mg of Avandia in the morning and then again at supper. After 3 weeks I have such shortness of breath that I can not function, I sit on the couch with my feet up because of the swelling and the inability to move without choking. I have been off the avandia for about 5 days and i have already dropped over 10 pounds, my ankles are back to normal and i can breathe. I still have a little congestive heart tickle/cough but that is also improving. My mother also took this drug 2 years ago and she about died from it. | If you are taking this drug be prepared to feel horrible and you may be risking your life. I have had no improvement in my daily sugars in 3 weeks from this drug and when i return to my doctor in 2 weeks i will be talking to her about something less hard on my heart. | F | 46 | 3 weeks | 5/21/2009 | 1 | Diabetes type 2 | 19 pound weight gain (fluid) in 5 days. it. | BP went up, leg pain was significant. Diuretics (water pill) did not help. One doctor detected possible cardiac (heart) impact. I was lucky - it did not happen. This occured about 6 weeks after starting Avandia. Came off Avanida, in three weeks total fluid retention gone and weight back to pre-Avandia days. Will never take again. | 6 weeks | 5/18/2009 | 1 | Type II diabetes | Stomach pain and some swelling in the extremities | Tried Actos (gave me severe diarrhea and stomach cramps). Then Januvia (didn't help) and a new dr gave me AvandaMet. It advises you not to take anti inflametories while on the drug. More than a year after going off the drug, I still can't take ibuprofen without it causing severe stomach pain. So I must take medication for the pain in my feet and hands. Finally ended up on insulin. Wish I would have started it sooner. | F | 48 | 90 days | 5/16/2009 | 1 | Type II Diabetes | Right from the first dose, my ankles swelled and the next day blood cells were forced into my skin tissues and my lower legs became cherry red. I spoke to my doctor and she took me off the AVANDIA. It is now over a year since and my skin is an ugly, blochey brown. It seems like it will take forever to clear up, if it ever does. | M | 69 | 4 days | 5/5/2009 | 1 | to reduce blood sugar | shortness of breath heart beat was pounding right foot started to ache unable to perform every day tasks | under no circumstance should you take avandia for any purpose do not let your dr write you a precription for this drug. this all happened to me after taking only 16 4mg pills.if you ignore all side effects listed on this site you will regret it | M | 79 | 16 days | 3/16/2009 | 4 | Type II diabetes | None | Fairly effective but blood sugar always tends to be higher than desirable. Because of heart concerns switched to Januvia but not certain it works any better or even as well.The most effective drug I ever used was the now banished Rezulin. | M | 70 | 2/16/2009 | 3 | Type 2 Diabetic | I have been taking Avandia for 8 years now. My legs are double in size now, even though I am taking a water pill. My knees are constantly swollen, and very painful. I had an MRI done on them in July, 2007 because my PCP thought I had a tumor growing out the side of my knee. It was "subcutaneous" fat cells and I suspect it is from the Avandia. I have gained a lot of weight in the past 8 years, and have tried diet after diet. I have also been diagnosed with Arthritis, because of the pain in my legs, arms, muscles. I suspect that is all from the Avandia also. I tried other meds and none have worked for me like the Avandia, so my doctor keeps me on it. The Amaryl put me into a diabetic coma after 1 week, and Glucophage didn't work at all. I tried many others. I take 8 mgs. daily. | F | 59 | 8 years | 12/10/2008 | 3 | Type II Diabetes | Avandia did help reduce water retention. However, I experienced excessive weight gain, constant pain in the bottoms of both feet, and heaviness in both legs. Once I stopped taking this med, these symptoms disappeared. | F | 55 | 4 years | 11/10/2008 | 1 | Type II Diabetes | SWELLING EVERYWHERE | I was a human water balloon even on strong diuretics they kept playing with. My BP zoomed and they put me on meds for it. Nothing stopped the swelling. It hurt to walk on my tree stump ankles. My doctor warned me about the swelling but nothing else on the market has worked for me. I went back on glucophage and I live now with GI distress but at least I can wear strappy heels again and I can move without the pain of swelling. Do Not Try This Medication. It isn't worth it and nothing can be done to stop the intense swelling-not diet and not meds. luckily I quit before I had more health problems as a result. | F | 45 | 90 days | 9/12/2008 | 1 | TYPE 2 | weight gain!! I gained about 30 pounds in one year | since stopping it, I have lost 23 pounds in 13 months with no chane in eating habits. | F | 61 | 1 years | 9/8/2008 | 1 | Diabetes type 2 | edema (swelling of the arms and legs), hair thinning and loss, swelling of the eyeballs, rapid weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol | After a spike in my A1c test, my doctor suggested Avandia and gave me some samples at first and eventually he wrote me a perscription. I had been working out and had lost 65 pounds (which could have accounted for the spike in my A1c level). After 1-1/2 years of taking Avandia, I had gained all of the weight back plus 10 pounds( I was still exercising 3x a week and eating the same). I had to get my glasses changed twice in a year because my vision had changed (due to the swelling of my eyes). My hair was thinning and falling out. My legs began swelling up. Was told at first that it was due to arthritis or overuse and then it was because of high blood pressure. They put me on a "water" pill to bring down the swelling. It didn't...in fact it made my blood pressure increase. They then tried to put me on cholesterol medication. This is when I said enough. I started doing my own research and found this website. I was seeing up to 4 or 5 different doctors and none of them even shar | F | 33 | 2 years | 7/16/2008 | 1 | Lower Blood Sugars | I didn't realize it at the time, but actually caused sever stomach pain which lead to an endoscopy. Couldn't eat spicy foods. Was told my stomach lining was severly inflammed. I stopped avandia about 6 months of this, and all the sudden all my stomach problems stopped. Haven't had any since then. | F | 31 | 2 years | 6/1/2008 | 1 | type 2 diabetis | itching, swelling ,extended abdomine, rash, head aches,severe back pain and legs. extreme pain all over and chills. | also was hospitolized about 6 months after starting medication with 2 TIA's. | F | 52 | 2 years | 4/29/2008 | 1 | diabetes 2 | before taking avandia I was on a weightloss success, 3 weeks after I was put onto avandia(4mg 1xday)with my metformin(500mg? 3xday)-(1 yr) I gained 15 lbs, my legs felt like lead weights, with water retention in my ankles and feet, and have stayed that way since. 03/25/07 to 02/03/08. I wasn't able to dance at my cousin's wedding and my Mom just didn't understand, she was very upset with me. I really hate how my belly looks pregnant, pants don't fit right, weight loss is non-exsistant even with a strict diet. | with all the scares in the news media over the last year, I'm waiting for some tests at the end of february. I'll decide then to be my own Dr. and halve the 4 mg to 2mg avandia 1xday and then in time ween myself off. | F | 46 | 10 months | 2/3/2008 | 1 | Type 2 | swelling of feet and legs, weight gain, heart palpations,shortness of breath | I actually thought I was slowly dying! We moved to a new area and new doctor took me off Avandia yesterday! This is a scary drug and should be removed. I hope to be able to walk and breath normal soon! | F | 52 | 2 years | 2/1/2008 | 1 | I am a Type II Diabetic | I suffered a heart attack, weight gain, which I have now lost, since being off of Avandia, and edema. My legs and ankles were swollen for years, doctors attributing it to heart condition. When I stopped taking the Avandia, the swelling disappeared within one week. | F | 59 | 5 years | 1/21/2008 | 1 | Type II Diabetes | accelerating weight gain heart palpitations | The more I restricted calories the more I seemed to gain. My blood glucose was well-controlled but when I had gained 130 pounds I walked away from the doctor that was prescribing it. I've lost all that I gained (and more) by switching to insulin, diet, and exercise. | F | 38 | 18 months | 1/15/2008 | 1 | Diabeties II | sore/swollen feet, calf muscles tight,short of breath, blurred vision. couldnt lose weight as i started working out in ladys gym 5 days a week and watched my diet. | only by chance i stopped taking avandia and within a day my feet no longer hurt me. my vision has improved. i am not taking this drug anymore and just increase my diaphormine to help keep sugars down. not worth taking this drug. side effects are worse then the actual help of keeping sugar levels down. i think more exercise and lower carb intake will help. | F | 44 | 1.5 years | 1/9/2008 | 1 | diabetes | Steady weight gain, water retention, bone density loss, heart palpitations, chest pain. | When I got off the drug, I lost 15 pounds in 4 weeks and the heart palpitations stopped. I found out Avandia makes cosmetic improvements to blood sugar readings by converting bone stem cells in to hungry new baby fat cells that love blood glucose -- but with bad long-term affects on blood lipids, obesity, bone density, heart health. Not worth it. | F | 56 | 2 years | 10/7/2007 | 1 | type2 diabetes | I started taking Actos, Had weigh gain and holding water. I asked to be taken off of it. My doctor switched me to Avandia. SAME TYPE OF MEDICINE, DIFFERANT NAME. Same symptoms, legs and feet swelling, hard to walk, gained about 30 #s in one year. Doc said you are eating too much" I said "no, it's Avandia. I became weaker, irregular and fast heartbeats. In Dec.,05 went to emergency room with Heart Failure, Doc kept me on Avandia. On July 17,2007 Doc increased my Avandia to 8 milligrams and told me to take insulin with it. I decided, NO MORE, with hearing all the news about its safety. | In Sept,2007 I went to a diabetes specialist and he took me off Avandia immediately. A week later my blood sugar has not gone up without Avandia. I don't know how things will go from here but it is too late for me to repair my heart failure. The only thing that I would say is, Do a lot of research FOR SIDE EFFECTS, IF YOU DON'T FEEL WELL AFTER TAKING A MEDICINE, GET A SECOND OR THIRD OPINION , before it is too late. | F | 64 | 7 years | 9/16/2007 | 1 | type II Diabetes | Sporadic intense flushing and sweats, sometimes as many as 15 a day. Rapid weight gain, extreme tiredness, and swelling hands and feet | My doctor kept telling me there was nothing wrong with avandamet, and after exhaustive tests to determine the cause of my sensation of being on fire 15 times a day, after reading the forums here i told my doctor i refused to take it any more. i stopped avandamet 2 days ago and have been prescibed janumet, 1000 mg 2 times a day and the sweats stopped immediately. i've been on the new regimen for 3 days now with no side effects so far. I feel rejuvenated and much better. If I had listened to my doctor i would still be burning up while more tests are run. sweats started 6 mos. ago after being on the drug for 1-1/2 yrs. I also had a stent put in my left anterior descending artery last yr. i'm wondering now if avandamet might have helped that along since i'm only 51. I would urge anyone who has been having problems with this nasty drug to ask for another alternative. | M | 51 | 2 years | 8/12/2007 | 2 | type II diabites | Swollen painful feet and legs, Shortness of breath. Did not realize how short of breath I was until I came within inches of drowning. I turned over in a canoe in very deep water. When I came up the canoe was twenty feet away and floating upside down with one life preserver and 3 seat cushion preservers under it. Foolishly I was not wearing one. I swam towards the canoe. I was immediately gasping for air. By the time I got within two feet of the canoe I was completely exhausted, out of breath and could no longer keep my face above water. I managed to reach out and grasp the rail of the canoe, barely having the strength to hang on, gasping for air. If the canoe had been two or three feet further away, I truly believe I would have drowned. If I had went down one more time I would not have the strength to swim back to the surface. A very scary situation! I am asking my doctor to take me off Avandia. | M | 70 | 3 months | 8/11/2007 | 4 | Type II Diabetes/helped w/sugar con | M | 53 | 10 years | 8/8/2007 | 2 | Type II diabetes | I was diagnosed with type II diabetes in January 2004 and started treatment with Avandamet in March 04. I am an avid bicyclist and continued cycling as a routine form of exercise. In November of 2006 I started running in hopes of building up to a marathon by the summer of 2007. Between February 2007 and May 2007 I completed three half marathons. In late June 2007 my ankles and lower legs started swelling. I tried to run and was only able to make it about 300 yards before running out of breath. Additionally, my systolic pressure jumped approx 35 points. A routine nuclear stress test demonstrated an abnormal EKG and some artery blockage. My regulary doctor took me off Avandament and prescribed Janumet. Withing a week the swelling went away. Due to the abnormal stress test, EKG and shortness of breath the cardiologist did a cardio cath. The cardio cath verified the blockage 30% to 40% in the lower portion of the Anterior decending artery and no other blockage or prob | I believe the avandia did a good job keeping my glucose in check. However, I believe the swelling was caused by the avandia. I spoke to a doctor at the intake before the cardio cath and was advised a drug can be tollerated for years but, then cause an allergenic reaction. SIDE COMMENT: Cardio caths are painful. | M | 57 | 3 years | 7/15/2007 | 2 | Type II diabetes | Shortage of breath and some water retention. HEART FAILURE? | My doctor prescribe the medicine to improve my HbA1c. I did notice some improvement but not until Januvia was added to the mix. I did not have any concern until I developed heart failure and my heart doctor can not determine the cause. I'm not sure if it is the medicine that cause it but I got off Avandia at my request because of all the bad publicity it receive recently. Believe it or not my doctor put me on Actos. He knew I had heart failure, so I'm even more confused of what he was thinking since this medicine warning states if you have heart failure you should not be taking it. I'm changing doctors. I was unaware of the issue of heart failure until I heard it on television last month. I recommend that anyone that is put on this medicine be closely monitor. If they notice any signs of water retention, shortage of breath or being extremly tired, I would talk to their doctor immdiately about changing to another medicine. | M | 58 | 2 years | 7/6/2007 | 1 | diabetes | took it for 3 months had lost 30 pounds before taking it and put most of it back on in the 2 months. lost energy, depressed, no energy, doctor gave me a pnuemonia shot, and put me on oxygen at night.sugars were good though, then my eyesight started getting weird couldn't see at times i had blurred spots in my vision then i heard about the scare and my doctor is hard to get into so i quit taking the avandaryl and stuck with my metformin in 3 days my breathing was better and after a month i am getting some energy back. my eyesight was also greatly improved after just being off it for a couple of days. I really felt like i was going downhill a little more each day. I do not agree with the use of this medication | F | 48 | 3 days | 6/28/2007 | 1 | for diabetes | weight gain of 40 lbs. hungry all of the time, very tired have now been diagnosed with osteo-arthritis, muscle soreness also | after the news scare my Doctor told me to stop taking it,after a few weeks I am now experiencing a lot of sweating, it comes from the top of my head and drips like a tap after hardly any exertion. | F | 58 | 4 days | 6/26/2007 | 3 | Type II | None | So far after a few years, no side affects, but compared to other medication, it doesn't seem to help much either. Also, if my health plan didn't have a prescription benefit, I couldn't afford it. | M | 34 | 5 years | 6/23/2007 | 1 | diabetes | I acquired what looks like a "tumor" of fat. My gut just kept growing after a total of 7 years--6 on avandia and one on avandaryl. It was the avandaryl that caused the huge weight gain. I would say nearly 35 pounds in one year. Unfortunately, this web site does not list Avandaryl as one of its drugs to rate. My mother finally said that I looked odd, that the fat didn't look like fat from overeating. and I do NOT overeat!! I have this distended stomach and now my hips are widening! | It is ironic that if "one" is diabetic, weight loss is the most important thing one can do. Yet here we have a pill for disbetes that causes one to gain even more weight. One might think that the drug manufacturer wanted "cusotmers" to gain weight so they would need to keep taking the drug. But, surely, drug companies care about our best interests, right? They would never hurt us so they could make a profit, would they??!! | F | 60 | 7 years | 6/22/2007 | 1 | diabetes 2 | unsatiable hunger/always felt hungry; no energy; fatigued, sluggishness, always tired; absolutely exhausted for no reason at all; swelling; bloated feeling; breathing got much worse - was very very short of breath; even going up one set of stairs caused heavy shortness of breath; I went to a different doctor for breathing problems which weren't that bad before Avandia; very blurry eyes at times; tired eyes a lot of times - my eyes felt like I'd been up 24 hrs or so yet I was getting enough sleep; ongoing very blurry vision; legs were SO HEAVY and TIRED constantly - from nothing; felt insecure on my feet - like I might trip and fall and I didn't know why 'til I stopped taking Avandia. Depressed for no reason at all; this was ongoing; down in the dumps feeling a majority of the time. Peripheral neuropathy seems to be worse - only had it slightly in one toe previously; some muscle pain for no reason; | I just went to my endochronologist. I had stopped taking Avandia 1 wk before the warnings came out because of how bad I was feeling and the excessive weight gain. I had managed to lose some weight prior to Avandia. He still thinks Avandia is great since "it hasn't been proven yet". I don't want to keep taking it 'til I have a heart attack or other health problems. Avandia has too many side effects. Who knows if they'll be the next victim of Avandia? Why take the risk? There has to be better medications! Had a family friend who died from Vioxx caused heart attack. She died shortly after Dr. gave her Vioxx. I don't think Avandia should still be on the market. How many more need to die to prove a point to the FDA and Drs who insist on continuing prescribing Avandia. | F | 68 | 3 years | 6/19/2007 | 5 | M | 6/17/2007 | 2 | Diabetes | Been taking Avandia for 6 mths now. I have experienced a significant weight gain and I am already considered obese. My feet are swollen and hurting even though I take Gabapentin (Nuronten). I have decreased energy and feel too tired to even walk. I have suffered migrane-type headaches in the morning. After taking this drug for two months, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. A month ago, I had a bad respiratory infection and when I went to the hospital, I had an irregular heartbeat. This drug is very scary and I did not put two and two together until I read this website due to the increased media attention. I am requesting a medication next week on my next doctor's appt. By being overweight, I already have enough problems. | F | 38 | 6 months | 6/11/2007 | 3 | Diabetes Type II | I felt Avandia helped overcome resistance to insulin allowing me to use less Humolog than would otherwise be the case. Recently however I've noticed that my use of Humolog is up, so apparently the drug is not working as well as it did for the first few years. For the first year and a half to two years I didn't notice any side affects, then, about a year and a half ago I started experiencing swelling in my feet that has gradually gotten worse and now my legs are also quite swollen. Over the past year I've put on almost 50 pounds and couldn't understand what had changed to make this happen. For the past six months I have also started experiencing upper respiratory problems. I was very very surprised when I found this web site and read the reports from all those people that have experienced the same side affects. My doctor just told me to stop taking the drug to see how I do without it. | I never suspected this drug was possibly a problem, I took it for almost two years with no noticeable problems - then all of a sudden my problems started and I had no clue why, now I think it was this drug. I look forward to seeing how I do off this drug, which I only stopped taking one day ago. | M | 61 | 4 years | 6/9/2007 | 1 | to lower blood sugar | I have Irregularity of heart beat. My blood sugar is very unstable. Sometimes high, sometimes low. I have muscle pain. I find it hard to walk. Thinning of hair. | M | 2 months | 6/6/2007 | 3 | Diabetes | None that I know of. | Added when the metformin I had previously taken wasn't enough. Took a while but with a later addition of glyburide my glucose levels have come down significantly. Not sure how much of that is the Avandia though. | 6/5/2007 | 2 | Type II Diabetes | First, almost an 80-pound weight gain. That was followed by anemia, and then edema in lower legs. I have no energy, am tired all the time and what used to be daily activities are now beyond my ability to do. Just getting out of my chair seems to be a major job, and that was not my normal lifestyle 3 years ago when I started taking this medicine. | My doctor has not taken me off Avandia yet; as a matter of fact, he hasn't even mentioned the excessive weight gain, the tiredness or the edema. So yes, I am looking for a new family doctor! I don't believe that the advantages of taking Avandia even begin to outweigh the disadvantages. | M | 61 | 6/2/2007 | 1 | diabies | fluid around the wall of the heart, tired blocked in one artuy ,contuios fluid ,and then the fluid left after 6 weeks after taken off this medaction had no prombles.... has any one had any of these prombles | M | 60 | 2 years | 5/24/2007 | 3 | type 2 diabetes | edema and weight gain | Taking avandia for 8 yrs,4mg.,2x a day... Last yr. had swelling in ankles and legs and gained 40 lbs. Dr. cut me back to 2mg., once a day and 5 mg. glipzide. Swelling gone, went on glycemic index diet and lost 20 lbs., and still losing. | M | 75 | 8 years | 5/23/2007 | 2 | Type II Diabetes | Last year went for a physical and had to have a ekg very erratic heartbeat. Dr didn't remove me from avandia but I decided to cut the dosage in half. Heart beat seemed to have improved. Recently started the Neil Bernard regimen of reversing diabetes the natural way.. essentially this is a vegan diet with low fat -the real culprit. Dramatic lowering of blood sugar from AM high 200s and low 300s to middle 100s in am before meds and excercise--after meds and excercise (swimming) a mile) sugar goes down to below 100. very pleased-- will now stop all avandia in light of the news today. !!! | I have had suspicions about avandia and its lack of safety since I started using the drug. I'm convinced this is a dangerous drug, and that diet alone with glyberide will accomplish the same thing without side effects. diet and excercise is all important for type II. Dr. knows only one game and thats to give a pill. Take care of yourself and be your own best Dr. The makers of this drug should be prosecuted and the feds repriAmanded. Obviously this is one more proof that the Food and Drug Adminsitration operates at the pleasure of the drug companies and not in the interest of protecting the public. I hope there is a class action suit. I dont like my life being played with at all and this isn't going to go away. | M | 66 | 5 years | 5/22/2007 | 1 | 2005 | sick from the start and stayed on this beacuse it was a great drug i was told | I had a problrm and went off Avendia after a year i gain 50 Lbs and had a blockeg in iliac Avetrry(R) and that was done in 8/23 /05 And now three more stent in my Arterys I belive that this med has given my heart Problrm now it in the News Some one will maybe hea WHAT I BEEN SAYING WHEN I WAS TAKING THIS DRUD i am 64 years young and my life style had to change. my drug bill became one of my SS checks for heart med | F | 64 | 8 months | 5/22/2007 | 3 | Insulin Intolerance | Weight gain, water gain, did o.k. on blood sugar, but not in the morning. Is not consistent. | F | 51 | 5 years | 5/19/2007 | 1 | type II diabetes | while hospitalized I was administered Avandia as a protocol medication. The clear fact is that it should never be given to someone who previously had congestive heart failure. After two years, I began having adverse reactions: Swollen feet, edema, peripheral neuropathy, extreme difficulty breathing (very low oxygen saturation - 68%), sluggishness, can't walk, extreme weight gain, hair loss, almost died from lack of oxygen. | Only way to stop symptoms was to stop taking Avandia, and to detoxify my body. Look into detox with oil swishing, best method for me. I was able to recover my breathing within a two week period. Was on supplemental oxygen at the time. It took taking all this information to my Pulmonary doctor, who recognized the problem with my breathing and had previously stated that I would never recover nor be able to take me off the oxygen. When he saw the side effects, and the documentation on Avandia, he was shocked. Was also surprised when I came in without the oxygen. He ran tests, and is now recommending the detox to his patients. | M | 51 | 2 years | 5/17/2007 | 2 | type II diabetes | Highs and lows in blood sugar levels. Has anyone experienced lymphodema in the stomach? I have large "blisters", skin is turning hard and am gaining weight in girth. Can hardly walk because of the extra weight. | Is this worth it? | M | 54 | 4 months | 3/21/2007 | 3 | insulin resistance | I have had severe weight gain. Within one year I have gone from a 16 to a size 22, all while taking aerobics and watching what I eat and drink. I was having menstrual bleeding almost on a daily basis. The nurse practitioner thought my hormones were out of wack and told me I needed an IUD. With that I gained 16 pounds in 6 months. After having that removed, I still can't lose weight despite the fact that I am still taking aerobics and cut out sodas and other fats. It seems that I am just continuing to gain weight with this drug. I have also just recently started having chest pains. The doctor did a EKG though and found that my heart is okay. | The only good thing is that my glucose did come down and I don't have the craving for sweets like I used to. Do I really think that it is worth all that? Not really. I think there are some good herbal medicines to take like Bitter Melon. | F | 36 | 3/20/2007 | 2 | Type II Daibetes | Extreme hair loss, no weight loss | Asked doctor for an alternative because of extreme hair loss. Hair is coming out in hand fulls. My hair was very thick and plentiful. Now I have bald spots. It did low blood sugars. Hope new medicine stops the hair loss and still controls the sugar; scary. Weight has not come off easily. I work out 5 times a week, stay on a controlled yet healty diet, and drink plenty of water. I was loosing about .3 lbs per week. Doctor said this was good considering it is a weight gain medicine. No other side effects. | F | 37 | 3 months | 3/20/2007 | 3 | Onset of Diabetes | My side effects set in during 3rd month of 8mg treatment daily. Heart rate skyrocketed, woke me up at 3 a.m. with 115 HR! I went to doctor and reminded her I was a PCOS patient (undiagnosed) and this could be too high of a dosage? At first I'd lost weight and was feeling great, then in February, I ovulated, gained weight (popped a button off my jeans!) and started to have blood pressure/HR problems, fatigue, nasty attitude due to "strain." We'll have to see how this plays out. | I called a pharmacist and took only 4 mg of Avandia along with 5 mg. of glipizide...BP going down, HR dropping: in ONE DAY! This is touch and go. I think it is a very good drug...I was in sugar range of 360 in December...it was 101 on Feb. 23 and 147 Feb. 26. | F | 57 | 3 months | 2/26/2007 | 1 | sugar diabetes | took avandia for a year and half filled up with fluid and couldnt breathe felt like i was dying. went to cardiologist and immediatly took me off avandia. gave me very potent water pills and a heart drug. now dr gave me actose and i am so scared it will do the same. tried the new pill januvia and got a terrible sore throat. | F | 68 | 2/17/2007 | 1 | Type II diabetes | Upper respiratory infection and extremely painful muscle spasms in chest. Headaches. Painful swelling in both upper arms to the extent of almost total loss of movement. Avandia is 4mg daily along with 2000mg metformin and 11mg glyburide. hypoglycemia often with 1.2 being the lowest. Just had glyburide lowered to 10mg 2 days before submitting this sugars are between 4.5 and 7 even with the lozenges i've been using because of the dry mouth and throat, also lost 10 lbs, which is good and not a complaint at all. | I am certain it caused fibromyalgia pain to grow in intensity. I "used" to only take 4, 200 mg of ibuprophen daily to control that pain but am now on prescription for codiene and antibiotics. I see the dr tomorrow 01/31/07 and will definitely request to go off of avandia. I have a high level of pain tolerance "normally" and find that I am getting depressed because of the increased and more constant pain. | F | 51 | 3 months | 1/30/2007 | 1 | Type II Diabetes | In July 2006 I went to personal physician and kidney speciallist. At that time I was suffering from Swelling of the feet, ankles and legs, extreme sluggishness, and heavy feeling in legs up to mid thigh. I was put on Lasix, 40 mg/day. Condition continue to worsen so that by 12/25/06 I suffered from extreme fatigue as well as bilateral kidney pain and pain in the groin area as well as muscle soreness in thighs. Read the side effects listed here 2 days after Christmas and immediately stopped taking 4mg/day of avandia. Starting 1/12/07 have also put myself on a no carbohydrate diet. Have lost 10 pounds altogether and feel much better. I have none of the symptoms that I listed above. None. I may tell my doctor this when i see him in March. I may also experiment with stopping the Lasix. | M | 63 | 18 months | 1/29/2007 | 1 | type 2 diabetes | swollen feet, painful foot joints, higher blood sugar, severe muscle pain | This drug made me feel awful and didn't lower my sugar. It seems I got almost all the side effects, which hurt and made my life miserable, since I dance and was unable to. | F | 58 | 2 weeks | 11/29/2006 | 2 | Type 2 Diabetes | I have been on 8mgs. for 3 years and during that period experience a 20 lb. weight gain and water retention especially in my legs. It was so bad I could hardly walk. There was a mix up in my insurance and I was without the drug for 3 weeks. What a difference! I started working out 3 times a week, am losing weight, I'm eating correctly, I was happy until I started it again last week. My quality of life has again gone down hill with the nausea, etc. I am going to discontine the drug and continue to watch what I eat and see what happens with the next A1C test. | I was on Avandia only because I can't take Glucophage which I guess is the drug of choice. | F | 61 | 3 days | 11/10/2006 | 2 | to improve reception of insulin | swelling of the feet and ankles, sluggishness, heavy feeling in legs, heart flutters, irregular heart beat and extreme fatigue. I cut my dose from 8mg to 4 and have noted improvement to some degree. I may try to lower bl sugar by weight loss to stop altogether. I also noticed bad infections with mrsi methicillin resistant staff infections, for which leviquin was adequate to eliminate and which was a result of abnormally high blood sugar. I'm getting more afraid of avandia , it is no longer getting the job done and its negative effects appear to be cumulative. | have there been any known deaths from avandia due to heart irregularities. | M | 66 | 4 days | 10/27/2006 | 5 | Psoriasis (non-diabetic patient)) | NONE | Outstanding result of treatment using Avandia + single injection triamcinolone. 12 years of topical treatment (Elocon, Dermol creams) had only resulted in progressive total-body psoriasis. I cannot speak too highly of Avandia/triamcinolone as a "Deliverance" from the Hell which is psoriasis. | M | 79 | 2 days | 10/14/2006 | 1 | High Blood Suger | I went Blind-20/400 vision | Notice--if you know anyone Blind that takes the Drugs-Actos or Avandia-Please spread the word THESE DRUGS CAN CAUSE YOU TO GO BLIND In Jan 2000 I was prescribed 15 mil per day Actos-in a few months it was raised to 25 mil per day-in Oct 01 it was raised to 35 mil-in Aug 01 I had a light stroke in NOV 01-vision got very blurry. My Dr sent me to a Dr of Ophthalmology, Tulsa, OK-the Dr stated, we can fix this, you got to me in time. We started Lasers, 3 treatments in left eye & one treatment in right eye, vision got worse. Now I had Cystoids Macular Edema. Shots in the eyes 2 in right & 4 in left of Kenalog. About July 03 my medication was changed from Actos to Avandia. Since Kenalog can worsen cataracts, I had cataract surgery on left eye Dec 24th 03-it was wonderful I could hardly waite to get right eye done. Jan 04 we done cataract surgery on right eye--My vision was 20-20-BUT-only for a few days!! The swelling had come back. On Jan 6th of this year I was watching the l | M | 57 | 3 years | 9/13/2006 | 2 | type 2 diabetes | started on Avandia 2mg twice daily [1month]. I began suffering from triedness ; fatigue; muscle pains and shortness of breath. I go to gym twice a week - and I am exhausted after a "light" workout. | sugar levels are well controlled with avandia and diet and keeping fit [but keeping fit is getting harder to do - due to the fatigue] | M | 44 | 1 months | 9/8/2006 | 1 | Type 2 Diabetis | On it for approx. 4 yrs (took .6mg three rimes/day (heavy dose) I have no doubt it caused........ 1. swollen legs, ankles, and feet. 2. weight gain | Had to get by on ONLY AVANDIA (anaphlactic shock from Glucophage)--Tookapprox a month to really "kick in" Then kept sugar nostly in middle 100s. After first year--developed BREATHLESSNESS which has become extremely worse with next two yrs. In hospital for minor surgery one yr ago (unrelated). CT CHEST, Echocardiogram, heart monitoring--esentially normal. Since then-CUT Dosage down to .4MG EACH AM AND pm. ALL LEG-ANKLE-FEET EDEMA-GONE COMLETELY. oNLY HALF AS BREATHLESS NOW. nOW i AM READY TO FIND SOMETHING ELSE-SO i CAN GET RID OF THE BREATHLESSNRSS. question---aNYONE ELSE HAVING bREATHING PROBLEMS?? a | F | 60 | 4 days | 8/30/2006 | 3 | Type II Diabetes | Initially mild swelling of legs, then gradually increased to moderate swelling. Tiredness of legs. Increased infections | Blood glucose control was good HbA1c last was 6.25mmol/L. I did experience elevations in sugar in am but dividing 8mg into twice daily 4mg helped. GP has suspended my Avandia for a month and put me on Glucophage 500mg three times daily. I see no noticeable changes in blood sugars on Glucophage and my ankle swelling has disappeared. Since holding my Avandia (5 days ago) I have lost 3lbs in weight I assume this was from retained fluid. I am seriously considering not re-starting Avandia after the month is up, especially if there is no difference while using Glucophage. The other consideration too is the vast difference in drug cost for Avandia vs. lucophage | M | 56 | 3 years | 8/29/2006 | 3 | Type II Diabetes | Swelling of the ankles. Weight gain. | I was taking 8 mg per day Avandia for several years, along with glyburide and metformin. Two years ago I began taking insulin, and dropped the glyburide. Last week my endocrinologist finally agreed my ankles were swollen (they had been swollen for years), and told me to cut back to Avanadia 4 mg/day. I am hoping I can eliminate the Avandia completely and just increase the insulin a bit. The only disadvantage might be loss of the benefit to serum lipid levels due to Avandia. | M | 45 | 5 years | 8/7/2006 | 2 | "profound insulin resistance" | Swelling of ankles, no weight gain. (I do not have diabetes, perhaps that explains why no weight gain.) Have been on the medication for 18 months. It worked great at first, but now it hardly helps at all. My doctor warned me it would have a diminishing effect, and I would have to increase dosage now, which I am reluctant to do. Has anyone tried discontinuing Avandia and then restarting it to see if full effects can be regained? Also, see new health warnings re Avandia's effect on vision. (Google "Avandia vision" for results re this.) | New medications similar to Avandia are in the pipeline: Acomplia is one, though it is still not approved by the FDA. (Google Acomplia AND "insulin resistance" for more info.) | F | 55 | 18 months | 6/20/2006 | 3 | Diabetic Type II | Blurred Vision, Swollen Ankles | Took about 6 - 8 weeks to begin working a bit. | F | 33 | 5 months | 6/7/2006 | 3 | Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) | Bad diarrhea. And I mean BAD. Assume it's doing what it should but since I've just started, it's hard to know. | F | 35 | 7 days | 5/14/2006 | 3 | Diabetes | I take 8 mg. to control diabetes. It has worked well for my diabetes without causing hypoglycemia like some other medications. Avandia is also in a class of drugs that is used to treat PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) It has caused me to start ovulating again. As I'm 54, this would have been great have I been 20 or 30 years younger. : ( | F | 54 | 3 years | 5/12/2006 | 4 | Diabetes type 2 | Have been on Avandia 4 mg twice a day as well as Amaryl and have gained 15 pounds in 2 years. My legs ache and I have had increased infections since beginning Avandia especially in my teeth and the bones of my teeth which I take meticulous care of. | I have my reservations about this drug especially in the area of causing infections. | F | 60 | 2 years | 3/12/2006 | 4 | Diabetes type 2 | Have been on Avandia 4 mg twice a day as well as Amaryl and have gained 15 pounds in 2 years. My legs ache and I have had increased infections since beginning Avandia especially in my teeth and the bones of my teeth which I take meticulous care of. | I have my reservations about this drug especially in the area of causing infections. | F | 60 | 2 years | 3/12/2006 | 4 | Diabetes Type 2 | No side effects except weight gain that stays despite efforts to minimalize caloric intake | Seems to do the job. | F | 60 | 3 days | 2/10/2006 | 3 | type 2 diabetes as adjunct to glybu | swelling of feet and ankles which is sporadic but progressively worse. also have begun to have irregular heartbeat and symptoms of weakness ,fatigue, weight gain and heart flutters from time to time. there has been a noticeabe and dramatic increase in blood pressure after taking drug in the morning. I'm seriously considering taking myself off this medicine just to see how much good it is doing with lowering sugar whcih is still a problem and to see if the swelling ,heart flutters and weight gain are related to its use. | If alcohol and avandia in combination cause a drop in blood sugar why not use less avandia and allow a glass of wine or two especially in those having trouble keeping their suger down? | M | 65 | 4 days | 1/7/2006 | 2 | Type II Diabetes | Severe swelling of feet and lower legs, up to knees. Increased pain sensitivity in feet. Increased hunger. Also experienced anemia (a known side effect of Avandia). Ceased Avandia after 90 days. | F | 77 | 90 days | 11/12/2005 | 4 | diabetes 2. | I do seem to be more hungry and the few pounds I'd recently lost have come back. | I have more energy, and my blood sugar dropped quickly. | F | 56 | 1 months | 9/28/2005 | 5 | Type II Diabetes | Slight foot/ankle swelling, hypoglycemia for the first few months. | Avandia did reduce my blood glucose significantly, and the side effects faded over a few months. I am taking this in concert with Glucophage, as "Avandamet." I have not gained any weight since beginning this drug, however, I also moved from a desk job to a farm job, which might also explain the 12% reduction in body fat. I am beginning menopause at 46. I am concerned my doctor did not mention to me the increased chance of pregnancy in women of my age and sexual development. He's going to hear about it soon! | F | 46 | 2 years | 9/27/2005 | 2 | non-diabetic insulin problems | Experienced constant, unsatisfiable hunger; weight gain, change in monthly hormone activity, skin breakouts. It turned out I did not need the medication after all of that - I have experienced shortness of breath since stopping avandia, as well as breast swelling. | Avandia was prescribed to me to improve insulin receptor efficiency before dr. was certain of reason for high glucose intolerance from a glucose tolerance test. Then dr. took me back off saying I didn't need it after all. He'd said there would be no side effects, but that was untrue. | F | 34 | 3.5 weeks | 4/4/2005 | 3 | high blood sugar | none | I have not seen any lowering of my blood sugar levels. However I have only been on this for 10 days. | M | 34 | 10 days | 3/11/2005 | 2 | Type II Diabtetes | Weight gain, shortness of breath, fatigue, lower left leg and foot edema | M | 50 | 2 years | 10/6/2004 | 4 | 6/11/2004 | 4 | Type II diabetes | I have split the original 8 mg. dose into 2X 4 mg. to avoid recurrent spells of Hypoglycaemia. Otherwise it works well but not so well as the discontiued Rezulin. | M | 66 | 3 years | 6/5/2004 | 1 | Diabetes II | increased hunger, swollen ankles. Has anyone else gotten increased hunger/appetite from this? | When I first started taking this only noticed a slight decrease in the time it takes for my blood sugar to drop. Just learned that fluid retention is related to drug. Tight socks hurt now. My sugars jumped from stress and thought this would complement my diet and exercise routine. Not really. (8mg daily, 24 BMI) | M | 24 | 5 months | 4/2/2004 | 2 | diabetes | Swelling of feet; feet also became hypersensitive and painful | quite effective in reducing blood sugar, but abovementioned side effects forced discontinuation of drug. | M | 70 | 3 months | 12/29/2002 | 4 | Type 2 Diabetic | Have become partly Impotent | Glucose levels have dropped and i have more energy | M | 44 | 11/17/2002 | 5 | Diabetes | For first 2 weeks experienced nausea which passed. Main drawback is it makes you feel hungry all the time. | Avandia works great for glucose control when used in combination with Glucophage. | F | 48 | 1 months | 7/29/2002 | 5 | diabetes | no problems | i really like avandia | M | 47 | 2 years | 12/6/2001 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
