Despite sufficient data linking a popular diabetes medication to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel said the drug Avandia should not be pulled off the market.

Instead, new federal restrictions and stronger warnings are likely, in a move that has some who take this medication to control their blood sugar levels worried.

For the last 10 years, Avandia pills been a part of Rich Hill's daily routine. He takes insulin shots because his body can no longer produce it on its own.

His doctor prescribed Avandia to keep his blood sugar under control.

"I ask him every time I go in and he always tells me, 'As long as you're handling this I don't see any reason why we should switch it,'" Hill said.

Rich does see a reason: an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

"It does worry me in the back of my head ever since this stuff came out," he said. "Am I suddenly going to drop dead of heart attack because of this?"

According to a group of federal experts, it is possible. A panel convened by the FDA found the data connecting Avandia to heart-related problems convincing, but not convincing enough to ban it.

"People who are on the drug need to consult with their physician," said Dr. Steven Wittlin of the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Because the data is considered "controversial" doctors have shied away from pulling patients off Avandia.

"They certainly don't have to stop taking the drug immediately. This appears to be a statistical increased risk over a period of time. It's not an instantaneous risk," said Dr. Wittlin.

While the drug is effective, some doctors say there are other options.

"So there are alternatives for the patients to switch to not even in the class, but in different classes of medications we can use," said Dr. Seth Charatz of Rochester General Hospital. "If a drug causes more harm than benefit that's definitely an issue."

For now, Rich will reluctantly keep taking the drug at least until his doctor says he doesn't have to.

"I got an appointment coming up next month and I'll ask him again, 'Are you sure I can't switch from this,'" he said.

The FDA is not required to follow this panel's advice, though it often does. A final decision on Avandia's fate will be made in the coming months.

Not banning the drug will save the Avandia manufacturer the cost of litigation, but could continue a trend of shrinking sales that started when the drug first came under scrutiny in 2007.