If you or someone you're caring for has diabetes that you control with medication, you may be a bit worried and confused right now. And rightly so.
With The New York Times leading the way, the news media went crazy this week over the government's report that the diabetes drug Avandia can cause heart attacks and other heart problems. Apparently this very serious risk has been known for three years -- since a nationally respected cardiologist blew the whistle on the drug -- but the news didn't get much attention until the Senate released a report showing Avandia increases the risk of heart attacks by 43 percent.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is in the hot seat for being slow to respond to initial warnings, announced it's holding a hearing but didn't recommend that diabetics need to switch drugs right away, though they might want to "talk to their doctors."
I've got to say, this is a bit wimpy on the part of the FDA... Read more
