At my dx in May 2005, my doctor put me on metformin
and avandia. First 500/2 twice a day and then 1000/4
twice a day.  By September my a1c had gone from 12.6
to 5.9.  I have had only the 'gentle' discomfort from
metformin, but no edema or ankle swelling has been
apparent.  I am 70, 5 ft. 6, and weigh about 145.  

I also take an ACE inhibitor and and toprol for
hypertension.
No complaints yet.

TaniO

How long have you been dx'd, Wooly? I've got it in my head that it's not
long? I'm just wondering if you ever got the bgs under control, and then
things have started to creep, or if you've never got that far? What sort of
numbers are you getting after what sort of meals?

Weightlifting (extended spinning? : ) is the best way of getting rid of fat,
IMO - and also Bernstein's : )

Nicky.

Since I already suffer from edema that is severe at times, the last thing I
need is something that might cause more of it.  My Endo. said if my A1C went

drug he seems to be pushing these days for us type 2's.

I have added 2 mg a day of Avandia to an ongoing metformin dose for the
past 3 weeks. Since starting it, I have been eating at a fairly low carb
level--60 grams a day--because of the fear of weight gain.

I started with the half dose because I have a history of drug reactions
and the doctor wanted me to try a small amount to see if the edema was a
problem.

The first week I noticed a definite improvement in energy that kicked in
about an hour after taking the drug. My fasting blood sugar dropped
about 15 mg/dl and I was quite encouraged.

However, now that I am 3 weeks in, I am experiencing puffiness and water
swelling. My weight is up a pound or two, which is still normal
variation, but I am waking up with my rings extremely tight and my body
feels "squishy."

Worst of all, my fasting blood sugar has shot right back up to the
110-120 range again which is depressing given the low carb intake.

I'm at the point where I'll try anything because I cannot get my fasting
blood sugar down and the moving average is going relentlessly up. My
post meal numbers are still in the target range, but largely because I'm
going easy on the carbs.

--Jenny

http://www.geocities.com/lottadata4u/  Type 2 Diabetes info
http://www.geocities.com/jenny_the_bean/  Low Carb info

That's not losing fat, that's not creating additional fat.

 That in turn makes it easier for one to lose the fat one

And what does this have to do with BG control? You are mixing up BG
control and weight loss. BG control is good. Losing fat is good. They
are not the same thing, nor are they caused by the same thing.

Jim

Didn't work that way for me, or anyone else I know!

Wooly,

I researched this carefully last year. It is a myth that Actos/Avandia
reduce abdominal fat.  What they do is reduce the "hip/waist ratio".
Doctors assumed they did this by decreasing the abdominal fat, but
further research found that they do this by INCREASING the hip fat.

These drugs DO reduce insulin resistance at the muscle level too, and
may provide some beta cell rest, but they have the unfortunate effect of
growing new fat cells. There is a new glitazones drug in the pipeline,
supposedly, that does not grow the fat cells.

I was at a weight low when I started the Avandia and figured it was
worth a try because there are some people for whom, I have heard, it is
"near magic", and I hoped I might be one of them.  But it is not looking
like that is the case, and the last thing I need is to improve my
waist/hip ratio by growing a big butt!