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Avandamet Dosage
For most people who are first beginning type 2 diabetes treatment with Avandamet, dosing usually starts at 2 mg/500 mg once or twice a day. If you are switching from your existing rosiglitazone prescription or metformin prescription to the combination medicine, your new Avandamet dosage will depend on how much rosiglitazone or metformin you were previously taking. The maximum daily dose of Avandamet is 8 mg/2000 mg.
In September 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would be severely restricting the use of rosiglitazone, one of the active ingredients in Avandamet, due to the risk of "cardiovascular events" such as heart attacks and strokes. Only individuals who cannot control their diabetes on other medications (or those who are already taking the medication and doing well) will be able to take Avandamet.
Avandamet® (rosiglitazone and metformin) is a combination of two different diabetes drugs: rosiglitazone maleate (Avandia®) and metformin hydrochloride (Fortamet®, Glucophage®, Glucophage XR®, Glumetza®, or Riomet®). The dose of Avandamet that your healthcare provider prescribes will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
- How well your diabetes is controlled
- Other medical conditions you may have
- Other medications you may currently be taking.
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
For people who are not switching from rosiglitazone (Avandia®) or metformin (Glucophage®), the starting dose of Avandamet for type 2 diabetes treatment is Avandamet 2 mg/500 mg once or twice a day. Your healthcare provider may increase your dose slowly (up to a maximum of 8 mg/ 2000 mg total per day) if necessary.
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD



