Azilsartan

Azilsartan is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. Azilsartan belongs to a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) which block a natural substance that narrows blood vessels, allowing the blood to flow more smoothly and the heart to pump more efficiently.

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

Diarrhea is the most common azilsartan side effect.

Azilsartan is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure in adults.

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

The recommended azilsartan dose in adults is 80 mg taken by mouth, once daily.

WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY

When pregnancy is detected, discontinue azilsartan as soon as possible.

Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus.

Contact your doctor right away if you become pregnant while taking azilsartan. See "Pregnancy" and "FDA Warning" sections for more information.

Azilsartan can cause very low blood pressure leading to dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting when you get up too quickly from a lying position. This is more commonly seen at the beginning of therapy in people who take diuretics, or in people on dialysis. Diarrhea, vomiting, not drinking enough fluids, and sweating can cause a decrease in blood pressure and can lead to lightheadedness and fainting. Tell your doctor if you have any of these problems during your treatment. 

• Avoid getting up too fast from a sitting or lying position.
• Get up slowly and prevent falls by steadying yourself.
• Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how azilsartan affects you.
• Limit alcoholic beverages.

Your doctor may monitor your kidney function if you are elderly, have kidney disease, have severe congestive heart failure (CHF) or if you are taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as azilsartan may cause a decrease in kidney function.

Do not use potassium supplements or salt substitutes while you are receiving azilsartanazilsartan, unless your doctor instructs you to.

Azilsartan may cause side effects, including:

• Harm or death to your unborn fetus if taken in the second or third trimester. See "FDA Warning" and "Pregnancy" sections.
• Low blood pressure (hypotension) and dizziness is most likely to happen if you also:
  • take water pills (diuretics)
  • are on a low-salt diet
  • take other medicines that affect your blood pressure
  • get sick with vomiting or diarrhea
  • do not drink enough fluids

If you feel faint or dizzy, lie down and call your doctor right away.

The most common side effect in clinical trials was diarrhea, occurring in 2 percent of the people taking azilsartan. Other reported side effects included:

• nausea
• weakness
• fatigue 
• muscle spasms
• dizziness
• dizziness when standing from a lying position
• cough

These are not all the possible side effects with azilsartan. Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to 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, in Amturnide, Tekamlo, Tekturna HCT)
• aspirin
• other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn)
• selective COX-2 inhibitors such as celecoxib (Celebrex)
• diuretics ('water pills') such as amiloride, spironolactone, and triamterene
• other medications to treat high blood pressure or heart problems
• potassium supplements

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

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.

This medication falls into category D. Azilsartan can cause harm or death to your unborn baby.

• Talk to your doctor about other ways to lower your blood pressure if you plan to become pregnant.
• If you become pregnant while taking azilsartan, tell your doctor right away. Your doctor may switch you to a different medicine to treat your high blood pressure.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if azilsartan is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby. 

You and your doctor should decide if you will take azilsartan or breastfeed. You should not do both. Talk with your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take azilsartan.

Some pain medications such as NSAIDS may interact with azilsartan. Ask your pharmacist for advice before you buy any medicines.

Drinking alcohol while you are on azilsartan may cause dizziness and may not be recommended for you.

Do not use potassium-containing salt substitutes while taking azilsartan as they increase the amount of potassium in the blood and this can cause problems.