avandia tablets toxicity studies

What is the most important information I should know about Avandia?
• Usually, liver function is monitored with blood tests at the start oftreatment, every two months for the first year of treatment, and periodicallythereafter during treatment with Avandia avandia tablets toxicity studies. Notify your doctor immediately ifyou develop nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, unusual fatigue, loss of appetite,yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine avandia tablets toxicity studies. These symptoms may be early signs of liverproblems avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Notify your doctor immediately if you experience an unusually rapid increasein weight or edema (water retention), shortness of breath, or chest pain duringtreatment with Avandia avandia tablets toxicity studies. These may be early symptoms of heart problems avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Avandia usually does not cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) avandia tablets toxicity studies. However,hypoglycemia may occur as a result of skipped meals, excessive exercise, oralcohol consumption while taking Avandia avandia tablets toxicity studies. Know the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia,which include headache, drowsiness, weakness, dizziness, fast heartbeat, sweating,tremor, and nausea avandia tablets toxicity studies. Carry hard candy or glucose tablets with you to treat episodesof low blood sugar avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What is Avandia?
• Avandia is an antihyperglycemic agent avandia tablets toxicity studies. It helps the body respond betterto insulin and it reduces the amount of sugar produced by the liver avandia tablets toxicity studies. It canhelp control blood sugar levels avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Avandia is used, along with diet and exercise, in the treatment of non-insulin-dependentdiabetes mellitus (type II diabetes) avandia tablets toxicity studies. Avandia may also be used with a sulfonylurea(e.g., Diabeta, Glucotrol, Micronase, others), metformin (Glucophage), or insulinwhen diet and exercise plus any one of these medicines alone do not result inadequate blood sugar control avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Avandia may also be used for purposes other than those listed in thismedication guide avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Avandia?
• Do not take Avandia without first talking to your doctor if you haveliver disease avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you
· have heart failure or heart disease;
· have edema (water retention or swelling);
· have type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-dependent diabetes);
· have a serious infection, illness, or injury; or
· need surgery avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• You may not be able to take Avandia, or you may need a dosage adjustmentor special monitoring during treatment if you have any of the conditions listedabove avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Treatment with Avandia may cause resumption of fertility by allowingfor the return of ovulation (production of eggs) in certain women with insulinresistance who were not ovulating before treatment with Avandia avandia tablets toxicity studies. Therefore,pregnancy may occur and birth control may be a consideration avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Avandia is in the FDA pregnancy category C avandia tablets toxicity studies. This means that it is notknown whether Avandia will harm an unborn baby avandia tablets toxicity studies. Generally, insulin is the drugof choice for controlling diabetes during pregnancy avandia tablets toxicity studies. Do not take Avandia withoutfirst talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant duringtreatment avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• It is not known whether Avandia passes into breast milk avandia tablets toxicity studies. Do not takeAvandia without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• The safety and effectiveness of Avandia have not been established forchildren avandia tablets toxicity studies.

How should I take Avandia?
• Take Avandia exactly as directed by your doctor avandia tablets toxicity studies. If you do not understandthese instructions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them toyou avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Take each dose with a full glass of water avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Avandia can be taken with or without food or meals avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• It is important to take Avandia regularly to get the most benefit avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Your doctor may want you to have blood or urine tests or other medicalevaluations during treatment with Avandia to monitor blood sugar levels, liverfunction, or other factors avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Usually, liver function is monitored with blood tests at the start oftreatment, every two months for the first year of treatment, and periodicallythereafter during treatment with Avandia avandia tablets toxicity studies. Notify your doctor immediately ifyou develop nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, unusual fatigue, loss of appetite,yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine avandia tablets toxicity studies. These symptoms may be early signs of liverproblems avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Although Avandia does not usually cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),hypoglycemia may result from skipped meals, excessive exercise, or alcohol consumption avandia tablets toxicity studies. Know the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, which include headache, drowsiness,weakness, dizziness, fast heartbeat, sweating, tremor, and nausea avandia tablets toxicity studies. Carry a pieceof hard candy or glucose tablets with you to treat episodes of low blood sugar avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Store Avandia at room temperature away from moisture and heat avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What happens if I miss a dose?
• Take the missed dose as soon as you remember avandia tablets toxicity studies. If you do not rememberuntil the next day, skip the dose you missed and take only your next regularlyscheduled dose avandia tablets toxicity studies. Do not take a double dose avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What happens if I overdose?
• Seek emergency medical attention avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Symptoms of a Avandia overdose are not known avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What should I avoid while taking Avandia?
• Follow your diet, medication, and exercise routines very closely avandia tablets toxicity studies. Changingany of these factors can affect your blood sugar levels avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Avoid alcohol avandia tablets toxicity studies. It lowers blood sugar and may interfere with your diabetestreatment avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Tell your doctor and dentist that you are taking this medication beforeyou undergo any surgery avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Do not take any over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, pain, or weight-lossmedications without first talking to your doctor avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What are the possible side effects of Avandia?
• If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop takingAvandia and seek emergency medical attention or notify your doctor immediately:
· an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat;swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
· nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or loss of appetite;
· unusual fatigue;
· yellowing of the skin or eyes; or
· dark urine avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Notify your doctor immediately if you experience an unusually rapid increasein weight or edema (swelling, water retention), shortness of breath, or chestpain during treatment with Avandia avandia tablets toxicity studies. These may be early symptoms of heart problems avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Although Avandia does not usually cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar),hypoglycemia may result from skipped meals, excessive exercise, or alcohol consumption avandia tablets toxicity studies. Know the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, which include headache, drowsiness,weakness, dizziness, fast heartbeat, sweating, tremor, and nausea avandia tablets toxicity studies. Carry a pieceof hard candy or glucose tablets with you to treat episodes of low blood sugar avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Other less serious side effects may also occur avandia tablets toxicity studies. Continue to take Avandiaand talk to your doctor if you experience:
· headache; or
· sore throat, nasal discharge, or cold symptoms avandia tablets toxicity studies.
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur avandia tablets toxicity studies. Talk to yourdoctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome avandia tablets toxicity studies.

What other drugs will affect Avandia?
• No drugs have been reported to interact with Avandia although interactionsmay exist avandia tablets toxicity studies. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescriptionor over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products avandia tablets toxicity studies.

Where can I get more information?
• Your pharmacist has additional information about Avandia written forhealth professionals that you may read avandia tablets toxicity studies.

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