Eprosartan and Hydrochlorothiazide

Eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. This medication is a single product containing 2 medications: eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide. Eprosartan belongs to a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) which help lower blood pressure by blocking a natural substance that causes blood vessels to narrow. This allows blood to flow more smoothly and makes the heart more efficient at pumping blood. Hydrochlorothiazide component belongs to a group of drugs called thiazide diuretics, which work by stopping reabsorption of salt into your body. This prevents fluid from building up in the body.

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

Common side effects include dizziness, headache, and back pain.

Eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide can also cause drowsiness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you. 

Eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure.

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

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

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• your blood pressure
• previous medications used and the doses tried
• other medical conditions you have
• how you respond to this medication

The recommended starting dose of eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide to treat high blood pressure is one 600 mg/12.5 mg tablet once daily. The maximum dose is 600 mg/25 mg once daily.

WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY

When pregnancy is detected, discontinue eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide 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 eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide including the following:

• Harm to an unborn baby (fetal toxicity). Do not take eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide if you are pregnant or will become pregnant.
• Low blood pressure
• Allergic reactions. More likely with a history of allergic reactions. 
• A condition in which close objects appear clearly, but far ones don't (myopia) or a buildup of pressure in the eye that can cause blindness (glaucoma). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you experience  visual changes or eye pain.
• An autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue (systemic lupus erythematosus)
• A condition of excess of uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia)
• Painful joint(s) (gout)
• Imbalances in the levels of salts and fluids in your body (electrolyte and fluid imbalance). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
  • dry mouth
  • thirst
  • weakness
  • drowsiness
  • restlessness
  • muscle pains or cramps
  • low blood pressure
  • low output of urine
  • fast heart rate
  • nausea
  • vomiting
• Kidney damage

Do not take eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide if you:

• allergic to eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide or any of its ingredients and sulfonamide-derived drugs. 
• your kidneys do not produce urine (anuria)
• are a diabetic patient who is taking aliskiren

Serious side effects have been reported with eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide. See the "Eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide Precautions" section. 

Common side effects of eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide include the following:

• dizziness
• headache
• back pain 
• drowsiness (fatigue)
• muscle pain (myalgia)
• an infection that affects the nose, throat, and airways (upper respiratory tract infection)
• sinus infection (sinusitis)
• virus infection

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

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 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:

• potassium supplements or salt substitutes containing potassium
• potassium-sparing diuretics such spironolactone (Aldactone), triamterene (Dyrenium), or amiloride (Midamor)
• angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) like valsartan (Diovan), ACE inhibitors (ACEI) like enalapril (Vasotec, Vaseretic), or aliskiren (Tekturna)
• alcohol, a class of drugs called barbiturates, or a type of pain medications called narcotics
• diabetic medications
• cholestyramine (Questran) and colestipol (Colestid)
• medicines that provide relief for inflamed areas of the body (corticosteroids) such as methylprednisolone (Medrol) and dexamethasone (Decadron)
• substances that raise blood pressure (pressor amines) such as norepinephrine (Levophed)
• medicines that relax skeletal muscles such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) and carisoprodol (Soma)
• lithium (Lithobid)
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil)

Do not drink alcohol while taking this medication.

This is not a complete list of eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide 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.

Eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide falls into category D. When pregnancy is detected, discontinue eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide as soon as possible. Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the unborn baby.

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

It is not known if eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide 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 the 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 eprosartan and hydrochlorothiazide.