Telmisartan

1 Hypertension Dosage must be individualized. The usual starting dose of telmisartan tablets is 40 mg once a day. 1) ]. Most of the antihypertensive effect is apparent within 2 weeks and maximal reduction is generally attained after 4 weeks.

No initial dosage adjustment is necessary for elderly patients or patients with renal impairment, including those on hemodialysis. Patients on dialysis may develop orthostatic hypotension; their blood pressure should be closely monitored.

Telmisartan tablets may be administered with other antihypertensive agents. Telmisartan tablets may be administered with or without food. 2 Cardiovascular Risk Reduction The recommended dose of telmisartan tablets is 80 mg once a day and can be administered with or without food.

It is not known whether doses lower than 80 mg of telmisartan are effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. When initiating telmisartan therapy for cardiovascular risk reduction, monitoring of blood pressure is recommended, and if appropriate, adjustment of medications that lower blood pressure may be necessary.

2 Cardiovascular Risk Reduction The recommended dose of telmisartan tablets is 80 mg once a day and can be administered with or without food. It is not known whether doses lower than 80 mg of telmisartan are effective in reducing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

When initiating telmisartan therapy for cardiovascular risk reduction, monitoring of blood pressure is recommended, and if appropriate, adjustment of medications that lower blood pressure may be necessary.

gov/medwatch. 1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice.

Hypertension Telmisartan has been evaluated for safety in more than 3700 patients, including 1900 treated for over 6 months and more than 1300 for over one year. Adverse experiences have generally been mild and transient in nature and have infrequently required discontinuation of therapy.

In placebo-controlled trials involving 1041 patients treated with various doses of telmisartan (20 to 160 mg) monotherapy for up to 12 weeks, the overall incidence of adverse events was similar to that in patients treated with placebo.

Adverse events occurring at an incidence of ≥1% in patients treated with telmisartan and at a greater rate than in patients treated with placebo, irrespective of their causal association, are presented in Table 1. Table 1 Adverse Events Occurring at an Incidence of ≥1% in Patients Treated with Telmisartan and at a Greater Rate Than Patients Treated with Placebo Telmisartan n=1455 % Placebo n=380 % Upper respiratory tract infection 7 6 Back pain 3 1 Sinusitis 3 2 Diarrhea 3 2 Pharyngitis 1 0 In addition to the adverse events in the table, the following events occurred at a rate of ≥1% but were at least as frequent in the placebo group: influenza-like symptoms, dyspepsia, myalgia, urinary tract infection, abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, pain, fatigue, coughing, hypertension, chest pain, nausea, and peripheral edema.

1% of 380 placebo patients in placebo-controlled clinical trials. The incidence of adverse events was not dose-related and did not correlate with gender, age, or race of patients. 6%). 3% of 3500 patients treated with telmisartan monotherapy in controlled or open trials are listed below.

1 ) Hypotension: Correct any volume or salt depletion before initiating therapy. 1 Fetal Toxicity Use of drugs that act on the renin-angiotensin system during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy reduces fetal renal function and increases fetal and neonatal morbidity and death.

Resulting oligohydramnios can be associated with fetal lung hypoplasia and skeletal deformations. Potential neonatal adverse effects include skull hypoplasia, anuria, hypotension, renal failure, and death. 1) ]. , those being treated with high doses of diuretics), symptomatic hypotension may occur after initiation of therapy with telmisartan.

Either correct this condition prior to administration of telmisartan, or start treatment under close medical supervision with a reduced dose. If hypotension does occur, the patient should be placed in the supine position and, if necessary, given an intravenous infusion of normal saline.

A transient hypotensive response is not a contraindication to further treatment, which usually can be continued without difficulty once the blood pressure has stabilized. 3 Hyperkalemia Hyperkalemia may occur in patients on ARBs, particularly in patients with advanced renal impairment, heart failure, on renal replacement therapy, or on potassium supplements, potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium-containing salt substitutes or other drugs that increase potassium levels.

Consider periodic determinations of serum electrolytes to detect possible electrolyte imbalances, particularly in patients at risk. 4 Impaired Hepatic Function As the majority of telmisartan is eliminated by biliary excretion, patients with biliary obstructive disorders or hepatic insufficiency can be expected to have reduced clearance.

3) ]. 5 Impaired Renal Function As a consequence of inhibiting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, anticipate changes in renal function in susceptible individuals. , patients with severe congestive heart failure or renal dysfunction), treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin receptor antagonists has been associated with oliguria and/or progressive azotemia and (rarely) with acute renal failure and/or death.

2) ]. Do not co-administer aliskiren with telmisartan in patients with diabetes. [see Drug interactions(7) ]. , anaphylaxis or angioedema) to telmisartan or any other component of this product ( 4 ) Do not co-administer aliskiren with telmisartan in patients with diabetes ( 4 )