Atacand 8mg

Atacand 8 mg treats hypertension (high blood pressure) in adult patients, children, and adolescents aged 6 to 18. It contains the active ingredient Candesartan, which belongs to a class of medications known as angiotensin II receptor antagonists. The class of medication cause your blood vessels to relax and widen, thus lowering blood pressure. It also reduces the workload from your heart, making it easier to pump blood to all body parts.

Atacand 8 mg can also treat heart failure in adult patients with reduced heart muscle function when ACE inhibitors can’t be used or in addition to ACE inhibitors when symptoms do not resolve despite treatment.  

How to use

Always take Atacand exactly as prescribed. It is important to keep taking the medicine daily. You can take the tablet before or after consuming food. Swallow the pill with a glass full of water. The usual recommended dose is 8 mg once a day. Your doctor may increase the dose depending on your blood pressure response. Discuss with your doctor before drinking alcohol, as alcohol may make you feel faint or dizzy.  

Precautions

Do not take Atacand 8 mg if you are allergic to Candesartan or any other ingredients present in the medicine. If you are three months pregnant, it is also better to avoid using Atacand in early pregnancy. You should not take this medicine if you have severe liver disease or biliary obstruction (a condition with bile drainage from the gall bladder). The antihypertensive drug is not meant to be used in children for one year. Avoid taking Candesartan if you have diabetes mellitus or impaired renal function and are treated with a hypotensive drug (blood pressure lowering medicine) containing aliskiren.

Also, speak to your doctor before taking Atacand 8 mg if you have liver, kidney, or heart problems or are on dialysis. You must also tell your doctor if you think you are pregnant. This high blood pressure medicine should not be taken in early pregnancy or if you are more than three months pregnant, as it may cause serious harm to your baby. Candesartan is not recommended for breastfeeding mothers; your doctor will suggest another treatment if you wish to breastfeed.  

Side effects

Immediately discontinue treatment and seek medical help if you develop the following:

• Trouble breathing, with or without swelling of the face/lips/tongue or throat
• Swelling of the lips/tongue/throat and face, which may cause difficulty in swallowing
• Severe itching of the skin

Candesartan may cause a significant reduction in the number of white blood cells. Your resistance to infection may be decreased, and you may experience tiredness, an infection or a fever. If this is the case with you, talk to your doctor.   

Other possible side effects include headache, spinning sensation, respiratory infection, low blood pressure, and effects on how your kidney works.