Telmisartan: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?
Prior to taking
telmisartan (
Micardis®), you should talk with your healthcare provider if you have:
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or trying to become pregnant
- On dialysis
- Breastfeeding.
Tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you are currently taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Some Telmisartan Precautions and Warnings
If you are taking telmisartan, keep the following warnings and precautions in mind:
- There are some medicines that telmisartan can interact with (see Drug Interactions With Telmisartan).
- Telmisartan may cause extreme low blood pressure in some people. Extreme low blood pressure is more likely to happen in people who are taking a diuretic, are on dialysis, or have congestive heart failure. If you have any possible symptoms of low blood pressure, such as dizziness, light-headedness, or fainting, contact your healthcare provider. If you have fainted, stop taking telmisartan until you have talked to your healthcare provider.
Also, make sure not to drive, operate any heavy machinery, or perform any other tasks that require alertness before you know how telmisartan affects you.
- Telmisartan is a pregnancy Category C medicine for the first trimester and a pregnancy Category D medicine for the second and third trimesters, meaning that it poses potential health risks to your unborn child. Let your healthcare provider know if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant. If you become pregnant while taking telmisartan, contact your healthcare provider immediately (see Micardis and Pregnancy for more information).
- While taking telmisartan, do not use potassium supplements or salt substitutes with potassium unless you have discussed this with your doctor. This is because in some people taking telmisartan, potassium in the blood can increase to dangerous levels.
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers, including telmisartan, have been known to cause a decrease in kidney function, especially in certain groups of people (such as those with severe congestive heart failure). Let your healthcare provider know if you have symptoms such as a decrease in urine output, drowsiness, headache, or back pain. Your healthcare provider will also regularly check your kidney function with a blood test.
- If you have moderate to severe liver disease (such as cirrhosis), gallstones, or other gallbladder problems, your body may metabolize telmisartan differently than intended. Therefore, your healthcare provider may start you on a lower dose of telmisartan and monitor your situation more closely.
- If you are nursing, it is not known whether telmisartan passes through your milk. Therefore, if you are nursing, talk with your healthcare provider about whether you should discontinue telmisartan or stop breastfeeding.
