One high risk for individuals with diabetes is heart disease. Many individuals that have diabetes, high blood pressure or other vascular complications, could have serious complications including heart disease. In addition, one problem is that many medications are believed to increase the risk of heart disease leading to heart attack. Most of these medications are not being tested for their effects on the heart
Pharmaceutical companies have not been doing much testing for heart problems because it takes longer to get the medications approved if these tests are performed and it costs the pharmaceutical companies more money. As a result, tests and clinical trials are not usually unless problems are reported by users after the fact.
Things have recently changed. A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel made up of outside medical experts voted this summer to have the FDA require drug makers to perform long term testing which is critical because heart disease and heart related and other cardiovascular issues are primary causes of death in many people with diabetes. If diabetes medication is causing or contributing to those causes it is critical to find out which medicines – if any – are causing the problems.
Because this is an FDA Advisory Panel and not the Congress recommending long-term studies of medication for diabetes, it is not mandatory at this point. However, the FDA usually follows what the advisory boards suggest to them. In addition, there are steps that the FDA can take to create recommendations that are stronger and guidelines that push medication manufacturers to perform these long-term tests.
Until then is important to be informed about as much as possible – especially the side effects – of your diabetes medication. If you have any doubts or concerns, do your homework. Check the web, ask your doctor. Take care of your diabetes and the rest of your health.
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