Valsartan

What it is

Valsartan is a prescription angiotensin II receptor blocker. It occupies the receptor through which angiotensin II narrows blood vessels and retains salt, so vessels dilate and blood pressure comes down. It is used in high blood pressure and in heart failure, where lowering the load on the heart is part of treatment.

Used for

• Hypertension
• Heart failure

What to know while taking it

Food is not a constraint, but the same time each day keeps blood levels even. Ibuprofen and similar painkillers work against it and burden the kidneys in parallel, and spironolactone, or potassium-containing salt substitutes and supplements, adds to valsartan's own tendency to raise potassium. Potassium, creatinine and eGFR are the values watched during treatment. Pregnancy is a contraindication because this drug class harms fetal kidney development.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor for muscle weakness, numbness or an irregular heartbeat, or if urine output falls noticeably, since these can reflect high potassium or declining kidney function. Persistent dizziness or fainting after starting or after a change is also a reason to be reviewed. Pregnancy, confirmed or planned, calls for a doctor's advice before anything is altered.

Worth knowing

• Can raise potassium
• Not during pregnancy

Markers to watch

• Potassium
• Creatinine
• eGFR

Nutrients affected

• potassium — raised by (Potassium)