Valsartan
Benjamin Clanner-Engelshofen is a freelance writer in the medical department. He studied biochemistry and pharmacy in Munich and Cambridge / Boston (USA) and noticed early on that he particularly enjoyed the interface between medicine and science. That is why he went on to study human medicine.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.The active ingredient valsartan belongs to the group of sartans, which inhibit the action of the hormone angiotensin in the body and thereby lower blood pressure. It is primarily used to treat high blood pressure. Valsartan can also be used in patients who have had a heart attack or heart failure. Here you can read everything you need to know about the effects of valsartan, side effects and use.
This is how valsartan works
The salt and water balance in the human body is regulated by the hormonal RAA system (Renin-Angiotension-Aldosterone). At the same time, it also regulates blood pressure: If a lot of fluid is absorbed (for example through frequent drinking), more must be released through the kidneys so that the filling volume in the blood vessels does not increase too much. If you eat something very salty, you get thirsty - the body needs fluids in order to keep the salt concentration in the body at the normal value.
Angiotensin II is one of the hormones in this system. When it binds to its receptors on the inside of the blood vessels, the vessels narrow - blood pressure rises. The kidneys also have angiotensin II receptors: Here the hormone ensures that less salt is released into the urine, i.e. more salt and therefore water remain in the body. This also increases blood pressure.
Valsartan blocks the angiotensin II receptors so that the hormone can no longer work. This prevents a rise in blood pressure and thus relieves the heart.
Valsartan uptake, breakdown and excretion
After taking valsartan tablets, the highest active ingredient concentrations are found in the blood after two to four hours, with the solution for ingestion after one to two hours. Overall, the absorption from the intestine into the blood, the so-called bioavailability, is very low and is only around 25 percent for tablets and around 40 percent for the solution.
In the body, around a fifth of the amount of active ingredient is metabolized into inactive breakdown products, the rest is excreted unchanged. Most of it is excreted in the bile with the stool. About six hours after ingestion, half of the administered amount is excreted.
When is valsartan used?
The active substance valsartan is used to treat high blood pressure in children (six years and over), adolescents and adults. Other areas of application are a recent heart attack and cardiac insufficiency (heart failure), if these cannot be treated adequately with other drugs.
The use of the antihypertensive agent is usually long-term.
This is how valsartan is used
The most common form of valsartan is in oral tablets. Oral solutions are available for patients who have difficulty swallowing or who are fed through a tube.
The dosage of valsartan depends heavily on the area of application and is usually between 80 and 160 milligrams of active ingredient once a day. The maximum dose is 320 milligrams. Sometimes this daily dose is also divided into two doses (morning and evening).
In order to achieve a stronger antihypertensive effect, valsartan can be combined with other antihypertensive agents. Combination preparations with, for example, valsartan and amlodipine and / or hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) are available for this purpose.
What are the side effects of valsartan?
In controlled clinical studies, valsartan did not cause any more side effects than non-active dummy products (placebos). One in one in one hundred to one thousand people treated had dizziness, exhaustion, coughing and abdominal pain as the most common valsartan side effects.
In contrast to some other antihypertensive agents, rapid discontinuation of valsartan does not lead to an increased increase in blood pressure (so-called "rebound effect").
Erectile dysfunction, which is often triggered by blood pressure medication, does not generally occur with valsartan. Sometimes sartans such as losartan and valsartan can even have a positive effect on impotence (erectile dysfunction).
What should be considered when taking valsartan?
The additional intake of other drugs that affect the RAA system or the blood pressure should be carefully monitored by the doctor, especially at the beginning, so that the blood pressure does not drop too much.
Since the mood stabilizing agent lithium should not be used concomitantly with valsartan or only under strict blood level control. This is because it is carried in the body in a similar way to sodium, and valsartan affects the excretion and reuptake of sodium.
In combination with preparations that can increase potassium levels in the body, potassium levels must be monitored. Such preparations are, for example, potassium-sparing diuretics and potassium supplements. Low-sodium table salt is also one of them.
With the simultaneous use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ASA or ibuprofen, on the one hand, the antihypertensive effect can be reduced. On the other hand, kidney function can deteriorate and the potassium level in the blood increases.
Valsartan therapy should be monitored more closely by the doctor in patients with impaired renal function. This also applies to patients with mild to moderate liver dysfunction.
pregnancy and breast feeding period
Since valsartan can harm the unborn child, the antihypertensive agent must not be used during pregnancy - especially in the second and third trimester of pregnancy.
There is no information available about the use of valsartan during breastfeeding. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers should not take valsartan.
How to get medication with valsartan
Medicines containing valsartan require a prescription and can only be bought in pharmacies.
How long has valsartan been known?
The first sartan - Losartan - was launched in the United States in 1995 by the pharmaceutical company Merck. Further active ingredients were later developed which, among other things, are better utilized in the body and have a longer effect. Valsartan has a longer duration of action and often more selective inhibition at the site of action than losartan. Valsartan was patented in 1991 by the pharmaceutical company Ciba-Geigy AG (now Novartis) and is now contained in various drugs.
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