Avapro

ATTENTION:
This medication Should not be taken by pregnant women. If you become pregnant while taking irbesartan, Call your physician immediately. Irbesartan may harm the fetus.

General Information and Indications:

Irbesartan, Avapro, is used alone or in combination with other medications to treat high blood pressure. It is also used to treat kidney disease caused by diabetes in patients with type 2 (formerly 'adult onset') diabetes and high blood pressure. Irbesartan is in a class of medications called angiotensin II receptor antagonists. It works by blocking the action of certain chemicals that tighten the blood vessels, so blood flows more smoothly.

Information For Users:

Irbesartan comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken once a day with or without food. To help you remember to take irbesartan, take it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask Your physician or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take irbesartan exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by Your Health provider.

Your Health provider may start you on a low dose of irbesartan and gradually increase your dose.

Irbesartan controls high blood pressure but does not cure it. Continue to take irbesartan even if you feel well. Do not stop taking irbesartan without talking to Your physician.

other uses:
Irbesartan is also used sometimes to treat heart failure. Talk to Your Health provider about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition..

special precautions:

Call your physician or pharmacist if you are allergic to irbesartan or any other medications.
Call your physician or pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: diuretics ('water pills'), nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), and tolbutamide (Orinase). Your Health provider may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for adverse effects.
Call your physician if you are on dialysis and if you have or have ever had heart failure or kidney disease.
Call your physician if you plan to become pregnant or are breast-feeding.

Possible Adverse Effects:

Irbesartan may cause adverse effects. Call your physician if any of the following symptoms are severe or long lasting:

runny nose
sore throat
diarrhea
heartburn
excessive tiredness
Some adverse effects can be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them, Call your physician immediately:

swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, eyes, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
hoarseness
difficulty breathing or swallowing
hives
fainting