Raising Awareness about Diabetes Medication Safety

The risks of medications vary based on their chemical composition. In fact, any medication can cause a life-threatening reaction if the person is highly allergic to the drug. Even if the person is not allergic to a drug, it still may cause side effects that may be serious enough to result in death.

Diabetes medications are one classification of drug that consist of a few different types of drugs that are associated with harmful effects. By raising awareness of the safety and concerns of these drugs, patients may be able to make an informed decision with their physicians as to whether the benefits outweigh the risks.

The diabetes medication Actos is one drug that has been linked with harmful side effects and potentially deadly consequences. France has suspended the use of this diabetes medication, and Germany also banned the drug, because of its connection to bladder cancer. In the United States, the drug is still used, however, many physicians are choosing alternatives.

According to several medical studies, Actos can cause bladder cancer in patients who use Actos for more than a year which has led to patients filing an actos bladder cancer lawsuit. The drug also has been known to cause cardiovascular problems, such as congestive heart failure. For patients who already have congestive heart failure, the issue will worsen. Since congestive heart failure may lead to death, patients who already have it should avoid using this particular diabetes medication. Heart attack and stroke are other problems that may arise as a result of taking Actos.

Actos is not the only diabetes drug to lead to harmful complications. The drug Avandia is a thiazolidinedione — which is the same drug classification as Actos — that causes harmful and potentially deadly problems. As a safety precaution, physicians must go through a special government program to prescribe Avandia.

A physician must enroll the patient in the program, in order for him or her to be able to use the medication. During the course of the program, the patient will receiving information on the risks of the drug, in particular its ties with cardiovascular problems. The drug also has been linked to liver problems and sometimes causes complete liver failure.

Patients and doctors should discuss diabetes medications together, and decide which drug is the safest option for the situation.

Author Bio: Elizabeth Carrollton writes about defective medical devices and medication safety for Drugwatch.com.