One of the recommended drugs for type 2 diabetes is Avandia. The mechanism of action or the drug process for Avandia diabetes medicine can be difficult to understand, particularly for people who have little experience in health care or chemistry. Here, we are hoping to provide a simple explanation of how the drug works and why the FDA believes the public should be advised about the possible health risks associated with use of the drug.
At any moment, there is a lot of activity going on in the cells of your body. There are a number of compounds that allow communication among the cells or control activities within the cells. Some of these compounds help the cells to recognize insulin and use glucose for energy.
In people with type II diabetes, insulin is present in the blood stream, but the cells do not recognize the insulin and do not allow the glucose to enter the cell. So, the glucose builds up in the blood stream. When the cells do not recognize insulin, the condition is referred to as "insulin resistance".
It has been shown in the laboratory that activating a certain compound (PPARy) decreases insulin resistance. Avandia, Actos and other drugs know as TZDs activate or bind to PPARy. So, in persons taking the drugs, insulin resistance and thus blood sugar levels are decreased.
There are several problems with the drugs. The one that most concerns the FDA is that research has shown an increased incidence of heart attacks in people who use Avandia. Actos appears to increase the risk of heart failure. TZDs were released as an alternative to the older drug Metformin, but so far, one has been completely removed from the market, Avandia now has a black box warning and Actos is accompanied by a number of warnings.
Metformin is still one of the most highly recommended drugs for type 2 diabetes and one of the most commonly used. The drug was derived from a plant known as the French Lilac, used for centuries to treat symptoms of type II diabetes. There are a number of other plant compounds that may also be beneficial. You can learn more about natural remedies and recommended drugs for type 2 diabetes at the Diabetes Info Guide.
Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a health writer. She has written a number of articles concerning type II diabetes and continues to provide information on the topic. She is an editor of the Type II Diabetes Info Guide, a website that provides easy to understand information about diabetes and links to additional resources.
