Benicar

Benicar is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure in adults and children over 6 years old. Benicar belongs to a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), which block a substance in the body that increases blood pressure. Benicar causes blood to flow more smoothly and makes the heart more efficient at pumping blood.

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

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

Benicar is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children over 6 years old.  

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

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

The starting Benicar dose for adults is usually 20 mg. 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 Benicar 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 Benicar. 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.

WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY

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

Serious side effects have been reported with Benicar including:

• harm to unborn child: Do not take Benicar if you are pregnant. See the "Benicar and Pregnancy" section.
• extremely Low blood pressure (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 low blood pressure:
  • fainting
  • dizziness
  • lightheadedness
• reduced kidney function: Tell your doctor if you have a history of kidney or heart disease. Benicar may impair kidney function, particularly in those who have kidney disease, congestive heart failure (CHF), the elderly, or people taking NSAIDS or diuretics. Your doctor may require simple blood tests while you are taking this medication, to monitor your kidney function. Tell your doctor right away if you experience signs of reduced kidney function:
  • swelling of feet, ankles, hands, or legs
  • decreased urination
• hypersensitivity reaction: An allergic reaction to Benicar is possible.  Call your doctor if you experience one or more of the following symptoms of a hypersensitivity reaction:
  • difficulty breathing or swallowing
  • hoarseness
  • swelling
• severe diarrhea and weight loss (Sprue-like Enteropathy). Severe, chronic diarrhea with considerable weight loss may develop months to years after starting Benicar . Tell your doctor if you are experiencing these symptoms.

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

Do not take Benicar if you take aliskiren (Tekturna) and have diabetes.

Common side effects of Benicar include:

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

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

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

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:

• 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 Benicar 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.

Benicar falls into category D. There is evidence of risk to the unborn baby based on studies in humans or adverse reaction data. This medication may be given to a pregnant woman if her healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the pregnant woman outweigh any possible risks to her unborn baby.

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

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

Common side effects of Benicar include low blood pressure, headache, and dizziness.  Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how Benicar affects you.

Talk to your doctor before using potassium supplements or salt substitutes while taking Benicar, as this can cause levels of potassium in the blood to rise.

It is not safe to take Benicar while pregnant.