Brand Names:

Avandia, Avandamet(combination), Avandaryl(combination)

What is it?

This drug works on something called PPAR gamma to turn on a gene that increases the effect of insulin on the cell. This lowers blood sugar for people with Type 2 Diabetes.

What’s In It For Me?

Rosiglitazone lowers blood sugar. Controlling your blood sugar will help prevent all the bad things Diabetes can do to you.

The Good

This drug lowers blood sugar without causing low blood sugars. People like the idea that it increases insulin sensitivity.

The Bad

This drug is not as effective as other options at lowering the blood sugar and the A1C.

As you might expect, turning on a gene has more than one effect. Rosiglitazone causes fluid to be retained by the body. This can cause annoying swelling in the legs for some people. This fluid retention is an even bigger problem for people with Heart Failure. The other common problem is that it can cause weight gain. This is not just fluid weight, you actually may gain some fat, which is not on most peoples list of things to do.

The Controversial

News reports came out about a study suggesting that rosiglitazone causes heart attacks. There were more heart attacks in patients who received rosiglitzone, but the numbers were so small in each group, you would need to treat 200 people with rosiglitazone to cause one heart attack.

Fact Boxes

For The Cynic

This drug is probably doesn’t increase the risk of heart attacks very much. However, it is fairly weak at lowering blood sugars

The Cost

Rosiglitazone is an expensive drug costing over $150 per month.

The Bottom Line

With the modest benefit, annoying side effects and high cost, Rosiglitazone is at the bottom of our list for Diabetes drugs. The risk of heart attack is probably not very high, but it adds to the reasons not to use it.