Show d Ask Marilyn c o w tinued recently read about the aging I publisher of a sex magazine His Patient Information about (roslglltazone maleate) 2 mg 4 mg and 8 mg Tablets Can I take Avandia wtth other medfoatkms? A vandSa has been taken 'safely by people using other medications including other antidiabetic medications birth control pills warfarin (a blood thinner) Zantac (ranitidine an antiulcer product from GlaxoSmithKline) certain heart medications and some cholesterol-lowerin- g products You should discuss with your doctor the most appropriate plan for you If you are taking prescription products for your diabetes or for conditions other than diabetes be sure to tel your doctor Sometimes a patient who Is taking two antidiabetic medications each day can become irritabie lightheaded or excessively tired Tell your doctor if this occurs your blood sugar levels may be dropping too low and the dose of your medication ihay need to be reduced What should I discuss with my doctor before taking Amndfo?: Avandia in combination with insulin may increase the risk of serious heart problems Because of this talk to your doctor before using Avandia and insulin together Avandia may cause fluid retention or swelling which could lead to or worsen heart failure so ted your doctor if you have a history of these conditions You should also tafc to your doctor if you have liver problems or if you are nursing pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant If you are a premenopausal woman who is not ovulating you should know that Avandia therapy may result in the resumption of ovulation which may increase your chances of becoming pregnant Therefore you may need to consider birth control options What arei Vie poaoMo side effects of AvandUl Avandia was generally well tolerated in clinical trials The most common side effects reported by people taking Aland were upper respiratory infection (cold-lik- e symptoms) and headache As with most other diabetes medications you may experience an increase in weight You may also experience edema (swelling) andor anemia (fired- ness) If you experience any swelling of your extremities (e g legs ankles) or tiredness notify your doctor Talk to your doctor immediately if you experience edema shortness of breath an unusually rapid increase in weight or other symptoms of heart failure Who should not use AvandUl You should not take Avandia if you are In the later stages of heart failure or if you have active Over disease The follow- -' ing people should also not taka Avandfc People with type 1 diabetes people who experienced yellowing of the skin with Rezulin (troglitazone Parke-Davipeople who are allergic to Avandia or any of its components and people with diabetic ketoacidosis AVANDIA - What la AvandUl Avandia is one product in a class of prescription drugs called thiazoiidinediones or TZDs It is used to treat type 2 diabetes by helping the body use the insulin that it is already making Avandia comes as pills that can be taken either once a day or twice a day to help improve blood sugar levels How does Avandia treat type 2 diabetes? If you have type 2 diabetes your body probably stS produces jpsulin but it is not able to use the insulin efficiently Insulin is needed to allow sugar to be carried fromtheblood- stream into many cells of the body for energy If insulin is not being used correctly sugar does not enter the cells very well and builds up in the blood If not controlled the high blood sugar level can lead to serious medical problems including kidney damage blindness and amputation Avandia helps your body use insulin by making the cells more sensitive to insulin so that the sugar can enter the ceN How quickly wtl Avandia begin to work? Avandia begins to reduce blood sugar levels within 2 weeks However since Avandia works to address an important underlying cause of type 2 diabetes insulin resistance it may take 8 to 12 weeks to see the full effect If you do not respond adequately to your starting dose of Avandia your physician may increase your daily dose to improve you blood sugar control a ‘ ' How should I take AvandUl Ybur doctor may tell you to take Avandia once a day or twice a day (in the morning and evening) It can be taken with or without meals Food does not affect how Avandia works To help you remember to take Avandia you may want to take it at the same time every day What If I miss a dose? If vour doctor has prescribed Avandia for use once a day: As soon as you remember your missed dose take one tablet anytime during the day If you forget and go a whole day without taking a dose don't try to make it up by adding another dose on the following day Forget about the missed dose and simply follow your normal schedule U s) vour doctor has prescribed Avandia for uM twice a riav: As soon as you remember the missed dose take one ' tablet' Take Ihe next dose at the normal time on the same day Don’t try to make up a missed dose from the day before bu should never take three doses' on any single day in order to make up for a missed dose the day before I need to teat my blood for augarwhffe using AmmXs? Yle you should follow your doctor instructions about your testing schedule Avandia cure type 2 diabetes? Poes Currently there is no cure for diabetes The only way to avoid the effects of the disease is to maintain good blood sugar control by following your doctor advice lor diet exercise weight control and medication Avandia alone or In combination with other antidiabetic drugs (ie sulfonyt-urea- s or metformin) may improve these other efforts by helping your body make better use of the insulin it already produces Do - Why an laboratory tests recommended? Your doctor may conduct btood tests to measure your blood sugar control Blood tests to check for serious liver problems should be conducted before starting Avandia every 2 months during the first year and periodically thereafter It is important that you cal your doctor immediately if you experience unexplained symptoms of nausea vomiting stomach pain tiredness anorexia dark urine or yellowing of the skin How - should I store Amndb? Avandia should be stored at room temperature in a proof container out of the reach of children Store Avandia in Its original container GbmSmithKfine 02001 The GlaxoSmithKline Group of Companies Al rights reserved Printed in USA AV0638 August 2001 youngest girlfriend is barely 20 years oML What causes such young women to fall for these much old-er menP Is it Just the moneyP —Jack Quinlan San Diego Calif Youth is only one small part of sex ap- : peal and certainly not the most impor- pan Otherwise nobody under the of age 25 would ever have troubleget-tin- g a date and we know that’s not hue! Money power fame and success are all way more interesting Say you're tant 40 years old and ask yourself this: Would you rather go out with an averor with a wealthy pow- age eiful famous or successful person your own age? Which leads us to another question: What does this guy see in her ? Then again as he is the publisher of a sex magazine he probably just can't do any better 9Uip PIOUI PSO JIM pq ‘sajiui 5 trap axoui Xtre WAiip pq ji mguippiunouRpuiespqiPSonnM pq :XMjiq SntpniPtn pun o) dn pjpqM Xuw pjim siq sjppui jo jnd sXnjs tnrai pqi jpqipqre jpjjsui iuspop q M9MSUV -- SO WHAT'S THE QUESTION? The answer was “Sun Spots” Here are some of your questions: "Where are the best vacation places to get your eumtner tan?” -C- harles Kunkal BordentownHJ "What do you call the area where you find a cat nappingP” —Eileen Ferri a Newington Com "Whet do you get when you wear a mesh shirt to the beachP" —Annie Canler Rockaway fU Ready for another one? The answer U: "Space Exploration" If you hove a quaatkm or comment lor Star o Savant who h Rated in the “CukviMt y Book of World Raoorda" Hall of Famo for "Hfhaat and K ta A Marilyn PARADE TITThird Am Now York KV WOT Or N nrfo'wfowdnawii (Indudo nomo olty ond V tto) tadMdual PMKIO1 roplioo aro not poasfota WTPMaoo-rMfaBiiMflaa- a - |