Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic (water pill) that helps prevent your body from
absorbing too much salt, which can cause fluid retention.
Valsartan is in a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Valsartan keeps
blood vessels from narrowing, which lowers blood pressure improves blood flow.
The combination of hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure
(hypertension).
Hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan may also be used for other purposes not listed in this
medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to hydrochlorothiazide or valsartan (Diovan),
or if you are unable to urinate.
Before using hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan, tell your doctor if you have:
kidney disease;
liver disease;
congestive heart failure;
asthma or allergies;
low or high levels of magnesium or potassium in your
blood;
gout;
lupus;
diabetes; or
an allergy to sulfa drugs.
If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or
special tests to safely take hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan.
FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby.
Do not
use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. Valsartan may
cause injury and even death to the unborn baby if you take it during the second and third trimesters of
pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control. Stop using this medication and tell your doctor right
away if you become pregnant during treatment.
It is not known whether hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan passes into breast milk. Do not
take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How should I take hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger
amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your
prescription label.
Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from this
medication.
Take this medication with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.
To be sure this medication is helping your condition, your blood pressure will need to be
checked on a regular basis. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.
Hydrochlorothiazide can interfere with the results of a thyroid test. Tell any doctor who treats
you that you are using this medication.
If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using this medication even if you feel fine.
High blood pressure often has no symptoms.
Store hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
What happens if I miss a dose of hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the
missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time.
Do not
take
extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Where can I get more information about hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Your pharmacist has information about hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan written for health professionals that you may read.
What are the possible side effects of hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
signs of an allergic
reaction:
hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
In rare cases, hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan can cause a condition that results in the
breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. Call your doctor right away if you have
muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness especially if you also have fever, nausea or vomiting, and dark
colored urine.
Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect
such as:
feeling light-headed, fainting;
swelling, rapid weight gain;
fast or pounding heartbeats;
urinating less than usual, or not at all;
jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
dry mouth, increased thirst, drowsiness, restless feeling,
confusion, increased urination, fast heart rate, fainting, or seizure (convulsions).
Less serious side effects may include:
stomach pain, diarrhea;
back pain;
headache, tired feeling, dizziness;
skin rash;
stuffy nose, sore throat; or
dry cough.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your
doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
What is the most important information I should know about hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to hydrochlorothiazide or valsartan, or if you
are unable to urinate.
Do not
use this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant.
Valsartan may cause injury and even death to the unborn baby if you take it during the second and third
trimesters of pregnancy. Use an effective form of birth control. Stop using this medication and tell your
doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment.
Before using hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan, tell your doctor if you have congestive heart
failure, kidney or liver disease, asthma, low or high blood levels of potassium, gout, lupus, diabetes, or
an allergy to sulfa drugs.
Avoid drinking alcohol. It can lower your blood pressure and may increase some of the
side effects of hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan.
Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Follow your
doctor's instructions about the type and amount of liquids you should drink. In some cases, drinking
too much liquid can be as unsafe as not drinking enough.
Do not use potassium supplements or salt substitutes while you are taking
hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan, unless your doctor has told you to.
In rare cases, hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan can cause a condition that results in the
breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure. Call your doctor right away if you have
muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness especially if you also have fever, nausea or vomiting, and dark
colored urine.
What should I avoid while taking hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Avoid drinking alcohol. It can lower your blood pressure and may increase some of the
side effects of hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan.
Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Follow your
doctor's instructions about the type and amount of liquids you should drink. In some cases, drinking
too much liquid can be as unsafe as not drinking enough.
Do not use potassium supplements or salt substitutes while you are taking
hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan, unless your doctor has told you to.
What other drugs will affect hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Before taking hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan, tell your doctor if you are using any of the
following drugs:
any other blood pressure medications;
steroids (prednisone and others);
lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid);
celecoxib (Celebrex) or valdecoxib (Bextra);
cholestyramine (Prevalite, Questran) or colestipol
(Colestid);
insulin or diabetes medications you take by mouth;
rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater);
a barbiturate such as amobarbital (Amytal), butabarbital
(Butisol), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or phenobarbital (Luminal,
Solfoton);
any other diuretics, such as amiloride (Midamor),
bumetanide (Bumex), chlorthalidone (Hygroton, Thalitone), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin),
furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril), indapamide (Lozol), metolazone
(Mykrox, Zarxolyn), spironolactone (Aldactone), triamterene (Dyrenium, Maxzide, Dyazide),
torsemide (Demadex), and others;
aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), diclofenac (Voltaren), diflunisal (Dolobid), etodolac
(Lodine), flurbiprofen (Ansaid), indomethacin (Indocin), ketoprofen (Orudis), ketorolac
(Toradol), mefenamic acid (Ponstel), meloxicam (Mobic), nabumetone (Relafen), naproxen
(Aleve, Naprosyn), piroxicam (Feldene), and others;
a muscle relaxer such as baclofen (Lioresal), carisoprodol
(Soma), cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), dantrolene (Dantrium), metaxalone (Skelaxin), or
methocarbamol (Robaxin), orphenadrine (Norflex), or tizanidine (Zanaflex);
a narcotic medication such as hydrocodone (Lortab,
Vicodin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid, Palladone), levorphanol (Levo-Dromoran), meperidine
(Demerol), methadone (Methadose), morphine (Kadian, MS Contin), oxycodone (OxyContin),
oxymorphone (Numorphan), or propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet).
This list is not complete and there may be other drugs not listed that can
affect hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and
over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs
prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
What happens if I have an overdose of hydrochlorothiazide and valsartan?
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share
your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
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up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum
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warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does
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a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or
drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any
given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information
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Content provided by Multum - Last Updated 11/10/2009