Amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide

amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide should not be the first medicine you use to treat your condition. It is meant to be used only after you have tried other medicines that have not worked or have caused unwanted side effects.

amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide comes with a patient information insert. Read and follow the instructions in the insert carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.

In addition to the use of amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide, treatment for your high blood pressure may include weight control and changes in the types of foods you eat, especially foods high in sodium (salt). Your doctor will tell you which of these are most important for you. You should check with your doctor before changing your diet.

Many patients who have high blood pressure will not notice any symptoms of the problem. In fact, many may feel normal. It is very important that you take your medicine exactly as directed and that you keep your appointments with your doctor even if you feel well.

Remember that amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide will not cure your high blood pressure, but it does help control it. You must continue to take it as directed if you expect to lower your blood pressure and keep it down. You may have to take high blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life. If high blood pressure is not treated, it can cause serious problems such as heart failure, blood vessel disease, stroke, or kidney disease.

You may take amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide with or without food.

Dosing

The dose of amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• For oral dosage form (tablets):
  • For high blood pressure:
    • Adults—One tablet once a day. Your doctor may increase your dose as needed. However, the dose is usually not more than amlodipine 10 milligrams (mg), valsartan 320 mg, and hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg per day.
    • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide is working properly. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting may also occur, especially when you get up from a lying or sitting position or if you have been taking a diuretic (water pill). Make sure you know how you react to the medicine before you drive, use machines, or do other things that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or not alert. If you feel dizzy, lie down so you do not faint. Then sit for a few moments before standing to prevent the dizziness from returning. If you faint, call your doctor right away.

Check with your doctor right away if you become sick while taking amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide, especially with severe or continuing nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These conditions may cause you to lose too much water or salt and may lead to low blood pressure. You can also lose water by sweating, so drink plenty of water during exercise or in hot weather.

amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide may worsen the symptoms of angina (chest pain) or cause a heart attack in certain patients with severe heart or blood vessel disease. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort, fast or uneven heartbeat, nausea or vomiting, pain or discomfort in the arms, jaw, back, or neck, shortness of breath, or sweating.

Check with your doctor immediately if blurred vision, difficulty in reading, eye pain, or any other change in vision occurs during or after treatment. This could be a sign of a serious eye problem. Your doctor may want an eye doctor to check your eyes.

Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide. You may need to stop using amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide several days before having surgery.

Hyperkalemia (high potassium in the blood) may occur in certain people receiving amlodipine, valsartan, and hydrochlorothiazide. Check with your doctor right away if you have the following symptoms: abdominal or stomach pain, confusion, difficulty with breathing, irregular heartbeat, nausea or vomiting, nervousness, numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or lips, shortness of breath, or weakness or heaviness of the legs. Ask your doctor before you use any medicines, supplements, or salt substitutes that contain potassium without first checking with your doctor.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This especially includes over-the-counter (nonprescription) medicines for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems, since they may increase your blood pressure.

General Considerations

Dose once-daily. The dosage may be increased after two weeks of therapy. The full blood pressure lowering effect was achieved 2 weeks after being on the maximal dose of amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide. The maximum recommended dose of amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide is 10/320/25 mg.

Add-on / Switch Therapy

Amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide may be used for patients not adequately controlled on any two of the following antihypertensive classes: calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, and diuretics.

A patient who experiences dose-limiting adverse reactions to an individual component while on any dual combination of the components of amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide may be switched to amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide containing a lower dose of that component to achieve similar blood pressure reductions.

Replacement Therapy

Amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide may be substituted for the individually titrated components.

2.4 Use with Other Antihypertensive Drugs

Amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide may be administered with other antihypertensive agents. 

Limited data are available related to overdosage in humans. The most likely manifestations of overdosage would be hypotension and tachycardia; bradycardia could occur from parasympathetic (vagal) stimulation. If symptomatic hypotension should occur, supportive treatment should be instituted.

Amlodipine

Single oral doses of amlodipine maleate equivalent to 40 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg amlodipine in mice and rats, respectively, caused deaths. Single oral doses equivalent to 4 or more mg/kg amlodipine in dogs (11 or more times the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m2 basis) caused a marked peripheral vasodilation and hypotension.

Overdosage might be expected to cause excessive peripheral vasodilation with marked hypotension. In humans, experience with intentional overdosage of amlodipine is limited. Marked and potentially prolonged systemic hypotension up to and including shock with fatal outcome have been reported. 

If massive overdose should occur, initiate active cardiac and respiratory monitoring. Frequent blood pressure measurements are essential. Should hypotension occur, initiate cardiovascular support including elevation of the extremities and the judicious administration of fluids. If hypotension remains unresponsive to these conservative measures, consider administration of vasopressors (such as phenylephrine) with attention to circulating volume and urine output. As amlodipine is highly protein bound, hemodialysis is not likely to be of benefit. Administration of activated charcoal to healthy volunteers immediately or up to two hours after ingestion of amlodipine has been shown to significantly decrease amlodipine absorption.

Valsartan

Depressed level of consciousness, circulatory collapse and shock have been reported.

Valsartan is not removed from the plasma by hemodialysis.

Valsartan was without grossly observable adverse effects at single oral doses up to 2000 mg/kg in rats and up to 1000 mg/kg in marmosets, except for salivation and diarrhea in the rat and vomiting in the marmoset at the highest dose (60 and 31 times, respectively, the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m2 basis). (Calculations assume an oral dose of 320 mg/day and a 60 kg patient.)

Hydrochlorothiazide

The degree to which hydrochlorothiazide is removed by hemodialysis has not been established. The most common signs and symptoms observed in patients are those caused by electrolyte depletion (hypokalemia, hypochloremia, hyponatremia) and dehydration resulting from excessive diuresis. If digitalis has also been administered, hypokalemia may accentuate cardiac arrhythmias.

The oral LD50 of hydrochlorothiazide is greater than 10 g/kg in both mice and rats, 2000 and 4000 times, respectively, the maximum recommended human dose on a mg/m2 basis.  (Calculations assume an oral dose of 25 mg/day and a 60 kg patient.)

Valsartan and Hydrochlorothiazide

In rats and marmosets, single oral doses of valsartan up to 1524 and 762 mg/kg in combination with hydrochlorothiazide at doses up to 476 and 238 mg/kg, respectively, were very well tolerated without any treatment-related effects. These no adverse effect doses in rats and marmosets, respectively, represent 46.5 and 23 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of valsartan and 188 and 113 times the MRHD of hydrochlorothiazide on a mg/m2 basis. (Calculations assume an oral dose of 320 mg/day valsartan in combination with 25 mg/day hydrochlorothiazide and a 60 kg patient.)

Amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide is a fixed combination of amlodipine, valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide.

Amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide contains the besylate salt of amlodipine, a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (CCB). Amlodipine besylate, USP is a white to pale yellow crystalline powder, slightly soluble in water and sparingly soluble in ethanol. Amlodipine besylate’s chemical name is 3-Ethyl 5-methyl (±)-2-[(2-aminoethoxy)methyl]‑4-( o-chlorophenyl)-1,4-dihydro-6-methyl-3,5-pyridinedicarboxylate, monobenzenesulfonate; its structural formula is:

Its empirical formula is C20H25ClN2O5•C6H6O3S and its molecular weight is 567.1.

Valsartan, USP is a nonpeptide, orally active, and specific angiotensin II antagonist acting on the AT1 receptor subtype. Valsartan is a white to practically white fine powder, soluble in ethanol and methanol and slightly soluble in water. Valsartan’s chemical name is N-(1-oxopentyl)-N-[[2′-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl) [1,1′-biphenyl]-4¬yl]methyl]-L-valine; its structural formula is:

Its empirical formula is C24H29N5O3 and its molecular weight is 435.5.

Hydrochlorothiazide, USP is a white, or practically white, practically odorless, crystalline powder. It is slightly soluble in water; freely soluble in sodium hydroxide solution, in n-butylamine, and in dimethylformamide; sparingly soluble in methanol; and insoluble in ether, in chloroform, and in dilute mineral acids. Hydrochlorothiazide is chemically described as 6-chloro-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-7-sulfonamide 1,1-dioxide.

Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic. Its empirical formula is C7H8ClN3O4S2, its molecular weight is 297.73, and its structural formula is:

Amlodipine/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide film-coated tablets are formulated in five strengths for oral administration with a combination of amlodipine besylate, valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide, providing for the following available combinations: 5/160/12.5 mg, 10/160/12.5 mg, 5/160/25 mg, 10/160/25 mg and 10/320/25 mg amlodipine besylate/valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide. The inactive ingredients for all strengths of the tablets include microcrystalline cellulose, crospovidone, colloidal silicon dioxide, and magnesium stearate. Additionally, the 5/160/12.5 mg strength contains polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, lactose monohydrate, triethyl citrate, hypromellose, titanium dioxide and talc; the 10/320/25 mg strength contains the same ingredients as the 5/160/12.5 mg strength with the exception of the talc; the 5/160/25 mg strength contains lactose monohydrate, hypromellose, triacetin, D&C Yellow #10, titanium dioxide, and FD&C Yellow #6; the 10/160/12.5 mg strength contains FD&C Yellow #6, triethyl citrate, yellow iron oxide, hypromellose and titanium dioxide; and the 10/160/25 mg strength contains hypromellose, titanium dioxide, D&C Yellow #10, macrogol and polysorbate.

Treatment of hypertension (not for initial therapy)

Hypersensitivity to amlodipine, hydrochlorothiazide, valsartan, sulfonamide-derived drugs, or any component of the formulation; concomitant use with aliskiren in patients with diabetes mellitus; anuria

Note: Although the FDA approved product labeling states this medication is contraindicated with other sulfonamide-containing drug classes, the scientific basis of this statement has been challenged. See “Warnings/Precautions” for more detail.

Note: Not for initial therapy. Dose is individualized; combination product may be substituted for individual components in patients currently maintained on all three agents separately or in patients not adequately controlled with any two of the following antihypertensive classes: Calcium channel blockers, angiotensin II receptor blockers, and diuretics.

Hypertension: Oral: Add-on/switch/replacement therapy: Amlodipine 5-10 mg and valsartan 160-320 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5-25 mg once daily; dose may be titrated after 2 weeks of therapy. Maximum recommended daily dose: Amlodipine 10 mg/valsartan 320 mg/hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg

Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F). Protect from moisture.

• Discuss specific use of drug and side effects with patient as it relates to treatment. (HCAHPS: During this hospital stay, were you given any medicine that you had not taken before? Before giving you any new medicine, how often did hospital staff tell you what the medicine was for? How often did hospital staff describe possible side effects in a way you could understand?)

• Patient may experience dizziness, headache, nausea, back pain, or loss of strength and energy. Have patient report immediately to prescriber signs of high blood sugar (confusion, fatigue, increased thirst, increased hunger, polyuria, flushing, fast breathing, or breath that smells like fruit), signs of fluid and electrolyte problems (mood changes, confusion, muscle pain or weakness, abnormal heartbeat, severe dizziness or passing out, tachycardia, increased thirst, seizures, loss of strength and energy, lack of appetite, urine retention or change in amount of urine passed, dry mouth, dry eyes, nausea, or vomiting), signs of kidney problems (urinary retention, hematuria, change in amount of urine passed, or weight gain), signs of liver problems (dark urine, fatigue, lack of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, light-colored stools, vomiting, or jaundice), muscle spasms, angina, agitation shortness of breath, excessive weight gain, swelling of arm or leg, difficulty swallowing, muscle rigidity, tremors, abnormal movements, vision changes, or eye pain (HCAHPS).

• Educate patient about signs of a significant reaction (eg, wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat). Note: This is not a comprehensive list of all side effects. Patient should consult prescriber for additional questions.

Intended Use and Disclaimer: Should not be printed and given to patients. This information is intended to serve as a concise initial reference for healthcare professionals to use when discussing medications with a patient. You must ultimately rely on your own discretion, experience and judgment in diagnosing, treating and advising patients.