Olmesartan

Olmesartan is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure in adults and children over 6 years old.  Olmesartan belongs to a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), which block a substance in the body that increases blood pressure.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken once a day, with or without food.

Common side effects of olmesartan include low blood pressure and headache.  Olmesartan can cause dizziness.  Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how olmesartan affects you.

Side Effects:

Serious side effects have been reported with olmesartan. See “Drug Precautions” section.

Common side effects of olmesartan include:

• dizziness
• low blood pressure (hypotension)
• fainting
• headache

This is not a complete list of olmesartan side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
 

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
 

Drug Interactions:
 

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:
 

• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin (Ecotrin) and ibuprofen (Advil)
• selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, such as celecoxib (Celebrex)
• colesevelam (Welchol)
• other angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), such as losartan (Cozaar) and valsartan (Diovan)
• ACE inhibitors, such as lisinopril (Prinivil and Zestril) and enalapril (Vasotec)
• aliskiren (Tekturna)
   

This is not a complete list of olmesartan drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Drug Precautions:

Serious side effects have been reported with olmesartan including:

·         Fetal toxicity:  Do not take olmesartan if you are pregnant.

·         Morbidity in infants:  Children less than 1 year old should not take olmesartan.

·         Hypotension in sodium or salt-depleted patients:  Tell your doctor if you have a history of low salt (electrolyte) or sodium levels.  Call your doctor if you experience one or more of the following symptoms of hypotension, or low blood pressure:

o   fainting

o   dizziness

o   lightheadedness

·         Impaired renal function:  Tell your doctor if you have a history of kidney or heart disease.

·         Hypersensitivity reaction:  An allergic reaction to olmesartan is possible.  Call your doctor if you experience one or more of the following symptoms of a hypersensitivity reaction:

o   difficulty breathing or swallowing

o   hoarseness

o   swelling

• Sprue-like enteropathy (intestinal problems): Tell your healthcare provider right away if you take an olmesartan-containing medication and have severe diarrhea, diarrhea that does not go away of if you experience significant weight loss. Symptoms of sprue-like enteropathy may develop months to years after starting olmesartan.

Olmesartan can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how olmesartan affects you.
 

Do not take olmesartan if you:

• take aliskiren (Tekturna) and have diabetes
   

Food Interactions:
 

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of olmesartan, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving olmesartan.

Inform MD:

Before taking olmesartan, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if you:
 

• have a history of low salt (electrolyte) or sodium levels
• have a history of kidney, liver, or heart disease
• have diabetes
• take aliskiren (Tekturna)
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
 

Pregnancy:
 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Olmesartan falls into category D.
 

There is evidence of risk to the unborn baby based on studies in humans or adverse reaction data, but this medication may only be given to a pregnant woman if her healthcare provider believes that its benefits to the pregnant woman outweigh any possible risks to her unborn baby.
 

Lactation:

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if olmesartan is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.
 

Drug Usage:

·         Take olmesartan exactly as prescribed.

·         This medication comes in tablet form and is taken once a day, with or without food.

·         If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time.  Do not take two doses of olmesartan at the same time.
 

Drug Dosage:

Take olmesartan exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The starting dose for adults is 20 mg of olmesartan.  The dosage range for adults is 20 to 40 mg each day.  Dosages over 40 mg do not appear to have an increased effect in treating high blood pressure.  Your doctor will prescribe the appropriate dose of olmesartan depending on the severity of your high blood pressure and your response to the medication.

The starting dose for children between 6 and 16 years old is 10 to 20 mg olmesartan.  The dosage range for children is 10 to 40 mg each day.  The doctor will determine the dose appropriate for a child depending on their body weight and response to the medication.

Overdose:

If you take too much olmesartan, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

Forms of Medication:

Olmesartan is available in 5, 20, and 40 mg tablets.
 

Active ingredient: olmesartan

Inactive ingredients: vary by manufacturer

Other Requirements:

·         Store olmesartan at room temperature.

·         Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.
 

FDA Warning:

WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY

• When pregnancy is detected, discontinue olmesartan as soon as possible.
• Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus.

Sources

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/lookup.cfm?setid=c68e3501-eab1-4380...

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a603006.html