oooo a smurfette! Hi Tanya,
I used to use Avandia and its a really potent drug. The thing about Avandia is that you may not see the results you want or need in the first few days you take it as it typically takes about 14+ days for it to reach its full potential (effect) in your body. Typically when metformin begins to become less and less effective, doctors prescribe Avandia in tandem, and it can alter your BS dramatically.
One of the side effects of Avandia is bloating or water retention, specifically in the legs. This happened to me and it was frustrating, but my doctor prescribed me a water pill and told me that for the drop in BS I was getting from the increased insulin sensitivity, the bloating was a small price to pay and we could possibly fix that.
Well, ya know, for once I agreed with my doc! Good stuff Avandia.
Warren
PS - I now use Byetta and it has allowed me to dump the Avandia completely. I now use metformin and glipizide in conjuction with 10mcg of Byetta and I've got great numbers. In fact I've been able to cut my dosage in half vs. what it was before the Byetta! (do I sound like a commercial for Byetta?)