Telmisartan

Telmisartan is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Telmisartan belongs to a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) which block a natural substance that narrows blood vessels. This allows the heart to pump more efficiently.

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

Common side effects of telmisartan include sinus pain and congestion, back pain, and diarrhea.

Telmisartan is a prescription medicine used:

• to treat high blood pressure 
• in certain high risk people aged 55 years and older to help lower their risk of having certain cardiovascular problems such as stroke, heart attack, or death.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Telmisartan may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Micardis

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

Common side effects of telmisartan include the following:

• sinus pain and congestion (sinusitis)
• back pain
• diarrhea

This is not a complete list of telmisartan 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.

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:

• aliskiren (Tekturna)
• digoxin (Lanoxin)
• lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid)
• angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) blockers such as
  • benazepril (Lotensin, Lotensin HCT)
  • captopril (Capoten, Capozide)
  • enalapril (Vasotec, Vaseretic)
  • fosinopril (Monopril, Monopril HCT)
  • lisinopril (Prinivil, Prinzide, Zestril, Zestoretic)
  • moexipril (Univasc, Uniretic)
  • quinapril (Accupril, Accuretic, Quinaretic)
  • ramipril (Altace)
  • trandolapril (Mavik, Tarka)
• angiotensin receptor II blockers such as
  • azilsartan (Edarbi)
  • candesartan (Atacand)
  • irbesartan (Avapro)
  • losartan (Cozaar)
  • olmesartan (Benicar)
  • valsartan (Diovan)
• diuretics such as
  • acetazolamide (Diamox)
  • amiloride (Midamor)
  • bumetanide (Bumex)
  • chlorothiazide (Diuril)
  • chlorthalidone (Thalitone)
  • ethacrynic acid (Edecrin)
  • furosemide (Lasix)
  • hydrochlorothiazide (Microzide, HCTZ)
  • metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
  • torsemide (Demadex)
  • triamterene (Dyrenium, Dyazide, Maxzide)
• aspirin and other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as
  • celecoxib (Celebrex)
  • diclofenac (Cambia, Cataflam, Flector, Voltaren, Zipsor and others)
  • etodolac (Lodine)
  • ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin)
  • indomethacin (Indocin, Indocin SR)
  • ketoprofen (Orudis, Actron, Oruvail)
  • ketorolac (Toradol)
  • meloxicam (Mobic)
  • nabumetone (Relafen)
  • naproxen (Naprosyn)
  • naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox, Naprelan)
  • oxaprozin (Daypro)
  • piroxicam (Feldene)

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

Serious side effects have been reported with telmisartan including the following:

• hypotension. Hypotension, or low blood pressure, may cause you to feel faint or dizzy. Inadequate fluid intake, excessive sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting can lead to an excessive fall in blood pressure too. Lie down if you feel faint or dizzy. Call your doctor right away.
• high levels of potassium in your blood (hyperkalemia). People with kidney problems, heart failure, or on other medications that increase potassium levels are at higher risk of hyperkalemia. Your doctor may want to measure your potassium levels periodically.
• a decline in kidney function. Toxicity from telmisartan may occur with kidney dysfunction since it is filtered out of the body by the kidneys. Your doctor may want to monitor your kidney functions with certain blood tests as well. Tell your healthcare provider right away right away if you have any of the following symptoms of kidney dysfunction:
  • swelling of face, ankles, hands, or feet
  • fatigue
  • paleness of skin
  • decreased urination
  • shortness of breath
  • change in blood pressures
  • side effects as mentioned in this section or in the “Side Effects” section of this medication page
• hypersensitivity (severe allergic reaction). Tell your healthcare provider about any signs or symptoms of hypersensitivity, which include the following:
• chest pain
• swelling of the face, eyes, lips, tongue, arms, or legs
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• fainting
• rash

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

Do not take telmisartan if you:

• are allergic to telmisartan or any of its ingredients
• have diabetes and are taking the drug aliskiren

Medications 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 telmisartan, salt substitutes containing potassium should be avoided.

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

• are allergic to telmisartan or to any of its ingredients
• have liver problems
• have kidney problems
• have heart problems
• if you have diabetes
• are pregnant or breastfeeding

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

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.

Telmisartan falls into category D. See the “FDA Warning” section for more information.

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

It is not known if telmisartan crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using telmisartan.

Take telmisartan exactly as prescribed.

Telmisartan comes in tablet form and is given once a day. Take telmisartan at the same time each day.

Telmisartan can be taken 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 telmisartan at the same time.

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

The telmisartan dose your doctor recommends will be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your age

The recommended dose range of telmisartan for the treatment of high blood pressure in adults is 20 to 80 mg once a day.

The recommended dose of telmisartan for reducing the risk of heart problems in adults over 55 years old is 80 mg once a day.

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

If telmisartan is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

• Store telmisartan at room temperature between 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C).
• Do not remove telmisartan tablets from blisters until right before you take them.
• Keep telmisartan and all medicines out of the reach of children.

WARNING:  FETAL TOXICITY

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