Avandamet

[HappyDad]

I was diagnosed with diabetes last June, when my A1c was 11.5.

I was prescribed Avandamet, (2 or 4mg?) and 1000 Metformin 2x per day. The second day of treatment I began having vision problems and understood that to be related to the water levels in my system adjusting to the medication. I was very worried and expressed my concern to my physician who noted it would stop after a few weeks, which much to my relief, it did. I had done some research on the med and found some anecdotal evidence that the med had some bad side affects on some patients. Did any of you experience similar problems, on either avandamet or other meds?

My A1C was 7.0 in April, and I'm hoping it drops further by the time I go check in again in August.

[sumi]

Hi Happy, welcome.
I have no first hand knowledge of any drug but metformin. I looked up Avandamet on Diabetes Drugs - Quick Summary (http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/17977284.php), a website I often use for reference, and it is poorly rated. It cites several problems including water retention and increased risk of heart attack. Maybe you could do some more research and ask your doctor about switching to something else. That's a nice drop in your A1c!

[HappyDad]

Right. I had actually performed several searches and taken material for my physician to read. He was unaware of a recall in 2004 in Canada for the heart attack issue, but noted he wanted me to stay on it a bit longer. I spoke with a nutritionist who noted the best way for me to get off the Avandamet and be strictly on Metformin was to increase my exercise routine. I've slowly picked that up but am still not where I need to be in terms of daily work outs.

Thanks for the info.