Jan. 5, 2006 — The FDA and drug company GlaxoSmithKline are cautioning doctors almost reports of unused or compounding diabetic eye complications in patients with diabetes taking the drugs Avandia or Avandamet.
The complication, called macula edema, results from delicate and spilling blood vessels within the eye and can lead to blurry vision; it influences the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision happens. If you take note any changes in your vision, such as blurred vision, diminished color sensitivity, or a change in the ability to see in the dark, let your specialist know.
Avandia and Avandamet are made by GlaxoSmithKline and contain the drug rosiglitazone. They are used to treat sort 2 diabetes. Avandamet too contains a moment drug called metformin.
A GlaxoSmithKline letter sent to doctors makes these points:The reports are “exceptionally uncommon.” Most patients moreover reported swelling in their legs and feet (peripheral edema) at the same time. In a few cases the macula edema stopped or made strides when patients stopped taking the drugs. In one case, macula edema ceased when the drug’s dosage was reduced.
Around the world, more than 5 million people have taken Avandia and 769,000 have taken Avandamet, states the GlaxoSmithKline letter, which is posted on the FDA’s web location.
Diabetes and Swelling
Diabetes can cause swelling, counting swelling or edema of the back layer of the eyes. This layer contains blood vessels that can become harmed and delicate as a complication of long-standing diabetes.
Macula edema too can be related to poor control of blood sugar, high blood pressure, and unusual cholesterol levels.
Diabetic retinopathy could be a result of tall blood sugar. If you have diabetic retinopathy, at to begin with you may take note no changes to your vision. In any case, it can cause severe vision loss or visual deficiency, if untreated. Diabetic retinopathy damages little blood vessels in the retina, which senses light and is located at the back of the eye.
Individuals with diabetes are exhorted to get eye exams at slightest once a year from an ophthalmologist, regardless of any drugs they take.