Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Ask the Doctor: Help Fight Diabetes with a Diet
DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am concerned about my medicine. I am 72. About four years ago, my doctor said I was prediabetic and prescribed Avandia.
I go for a checkup every three months, and the doctor checks my sugar, blood pressure, etc.
A few months ago, I read that there were questions about Avandia’s safety. My doctor did not know about the risks, but said to keep taking it. Will you tell me more about it?
- F.B.
ANSWER: Prediabetes is the condition where the fasting plasma glucose (blood sugar) ranges from 100 mg/dL to 125.
It’s a widespread condition with about one-quarter of older adults having it. It’s not diabetes.
However, around 11 percent of prediabetics become true diabetics within three years, and about half do so within 10 years.
Weight loss, daily exercise and a change of diet often can take people out of the “prediabetes” category and put them in the “normal” category.
Many doctors favor treating their prediabetic patients with oral diabetes medicines in order to prevent progression to diabetes.
Avandia is an oral diabetes medicine that’s been around for many years. It causes some people to retain fluid. Retention of fluid, in turn, can lead to congestive heart failure in a few instances.
It has been suspected of possibly inducing angina and heart attacks. These side effects are limited to a small number of people, and the proof of the relationship isn’t accepted by all authorities. You’ve been on the medicine for four years without any trouble. It’s not likely that you would ever get into any trouble.
If you’re uneasy about the medicine, you have two options. One is to try to control your prediabetes with diet, exercise and weight loss.
The second is to take one of the many other oral diabetes medicines. You have to discuss this with your doctor.
Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.
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, there is always one in a community that can’t stand to have a good time without DRAMA. Ours was and is Mrs. W. (and just 2 vowels).