Avandia and Type 1 Diabetes

Because Avandia cannot cause insulin to be produced in the body, it cannot be used alone to treat type 1 diabetes. Avandia, however, may be used to treat people who have had type 1 diabetes for many years and have also become insulin resistant as they have aged. People with type 1 diabetes who are not insulin resistant should not take Avandia -- the medication cannot cause you to be more sensitive to insulin when there is no insulin present in the body.

 

An Overview of Avandia and Type 1 Diabetes

Avandia® (rosiglitazone maleate) is a prescription medication approved to treat type 2 diabetes. The drug is not approved to treat type 1 diabetes. However, there are some situations where Avandia may be useful in people with type 1 diabetes.
 

Avandia and Diabetes

Avandia works by decreasing insulin resistance.
 Insulin resistance involves the body becoming resistant to the effects of insulin and is common in people with type 2 diabetes. In people with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces large amounts of insulin in an attempt to make up for insulin resistance. In people with type 1 diabetes, however, the pancreas cannot produce any insulin at all. Because Avandia cannot cause insulin to be produced, it cannot be used alone to treat type 1 diabetes. In other words, it does not do any good to be more sensitive to insulin if there is no insulin present in the body.
 
However, people may have both types of diabetes at the same time. Often, these are people who have had type 1 diabetes for many years and have also become insulin resistant as they have aged. Although these people still need insulin, they might also benefit from a medication that decreases insulin resistance (such as Avandia). This might allow them to use less insulin. However, the idea of "double diabetes" is relatively new, and more research is needed in this area before the best treatments are known.
 
(Avandia and Type 1 Diabetes Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;