What the medication is used for:
Atacand is used to treat:
* High Blood Pressure in Adults
* High Blood Pressure in Children (6 to 17 years of age)
* Heart Failure in Adults
What it does:
ATACAND is an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). You can recognize an ARB because its medicinal ingredient ends in“-SARTAN”. This medicine does not cure your disease. It helps to control it. Therefore, it is important to continue taking ATACAND regularly even if you feel fine. Its main action is to relax the arteries, letting the blood flow more freely, thereby lowering the blood pressure.
What the nonmedicinal ingredients are:
Calcium carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, iron oxide (except 4 mg tablets), lactose, magnesium stearate, maize starch and polyethylene glycol.
What dosage forms it comes in: Tablets: 4 mg, 8 mg, 16 mg and 32 mg.
Usual Dose:
Lower doses may be required based on the other medications you take and the presence of other disease conditions.
High Blood Pressure in Adults:
Recommended Initial Dose: 16 mg once a day.
Total Daily Dose: 8 mg to 32 mg once a day.
Heart Failure in Adults: Usual Recommended Initial Dose: 4 mg once a day. If tolerated by the patient, this dose is gradually doubled (approximately every 2 weeks) until the target dose is reached. Target Dose: 32 mg once a day.
Side effects may include:
- dizziness, falls;
- drowsiness, insomnia;
- rash;
- diarrhea, vomiting;
-headache;
- back or leg pain, muscle cramps;
- cough;
- sore throat;
- dry mouth;
- cold symptoms;
- pneumonia;
- fainting spells;
- confusion.
