General Information
Uses
What should I know before taking this drug
Precautions
Dosage information
Adverse reactions
Storage
Additional information if any
Diovan cap [Novartis Pharma]
Valent R-5 cap (Lupin)
Valsartan is a prescription drug available from your pharmacy store only with the prescription of a qualified medical practitioner.
Valsartan pronounced as: val-SAR-tan
Valsartan is an Anti hypertensive / angiotensin-II receptor blocker.
Valsartan is used in treatment of hypertension, heart failure and in left ventricular dysfunction post myocardial infarction (heart attack).
- Take Valsartan exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If do not understand these instructions ask your pharmacist, nurse or doctor to explain them to you.
- Do not take Valsartan in larger amounts or for longer duration than recommended by your doctor.
- Take Valsartan with a full glass of water at regular intervals to avoid forgetting.
- Do not skip doses or stop taking Valsartan without consulting your doctor. Stopping suddenly may worsen hypertension.
- Do not use potassium supplement without consulting your doctor.
- Always remember to inform your health expert if you are currently taking any OTC or prescription drugs like,
- Lithium (mood stabilizer)
- Digoxin
- Potassium sparing diuretics like Amiloride
- Anti coagulants like warfarin, heparin
- Other Anti hypertensive drugs
- Cyclosporine
- Inform your doctor if you have following medical diseases , as Valsartan should be used cautiously in these conditions
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease, Renal artery stenosis
- History of Biliary obstruction
- Dehydration
- Severe congestive heart failure
Valsarten should not be taken if you have liver dysfunction and women in her 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy.
Old people: Caution is advised for usage in older people.
Pregnant woman: Valsartan belongs to FDA pregnancy category D. This means that valsartan can harm an unborn baby and cause birth defects if used during pregnancy. Do not use valsartan with out your doctor consent however its use is justified if the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or are planning for conception.
Lactating women: Valsartan passes into breast milk and harm nursing baby. Do not use valsartan with out the consent from your doctor if you are breastfeeding your child.
Other:
Do not take potassium supplements without consulting your doctor as it may cause increase side effects.
Valsartan is available in the form of tablet and capsule.
Use as directed by your physician, your physician prescribes depending on the severity of disease.
Use the complete course of medication as prescribed by your physician even though you feel better after one or two days of usage of medication.
If it is almost the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not take two doses at same time to cover up the missed dose.
In case of overdose contact your nearest poison control centre or emergency medical centre for immediate care by physician.
The overdose symptoms of Valsartan are
- Rapid or slow Irregular heartbeat
- Extreme weakness
- Fainting
Valsartan may cause following side effects
- Cough , nasal congestion
- Sore throat
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Dizziness
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Upper respiratory tract infection
Consult your doctor immediately if notice following symptoms.
- Allergic reaction like swollen lips, hives, difficulty in breathing, rashes. Peeling of skin etc
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath even with mild exertion
- Decrease in the amount of urine
- Oedema of the feet / hands
Store valsartan at room temp (15 – 30 degrees C). Avoid excessive heat, moisture or direct sunlight, never store in the bathroom.
Keep it out of reach of children. Make sure that any leftover portion is disposed off safely.
- Valsartan causes dizziness when used for the first time when getting up from sitting or lying down position. Hence avoid alcohol and activities which requires you to be alert.
- Regular monitoring of serum potassium levels is required especially in elderly patients and those with renal impairment to look for side effects.
- Avoid alcohol when on valsartan as it increases he drowsiness and side effects caused by valsartan.
- Visit your doctor regularly for monitoring your blood pressure and pulse rate when taking valsartan.
- Hypertension often has no symptoms, so you may not even feel that you have high blood pressure. Continue using this medicine as directed, even if you feel well. You may need to use blood pressure medication for the rest of your life.
- Adopt healthy lifestyle changes like regular exercise, healthy diet, quit smoking, alcohol to lower your blood pressure and improve your overall health.
It is imp to read manufacturing packaging instruction carefully if available and always do not hesitate to consult pharmacist or physician for any information.
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date: Mar19th,09