Candesartan

Key facts

• Candesartan (an ingredient found in Atacand and generic tablets) is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). It relaxes blood vessels and reduces the heart's workload.
• It treats high blood pressure and helps people with chronic heart failure, usually taken once a day with or without food.
• Never take candesartan during pregnancy. It can cause serious injury or death to a developing baby, including kidney failure and low amniotic fluid, especially from the second trimester onward.
• Seek urgent care for swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or for fainting.

What candesartan treats

Candesartan treats high blood pressure (hypertension) and is used alongside other medicines to manage chronic heart failure, where the heart cannot pump efficiently. Lowering blood pressure and easing the heart's workload reduces the long-term risk of stroke, heart attack, and hospital admission for heart failure.

How candesartan works

A hormone called angiotensin II normally binds to receptors on blood vessels, making them narrow and raising blood pressure. Candesartan blocks this receptor, so blood vessels stay relaxed and blood flows more easily. This lowers blood pressure and reduces the strain on the heart.

Before you take it

• Do not take candesartan if you are pregnant, might become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. Stop the medicine and contact your doctor immediately if you become pregnant.
• Tell your prescriber about kidney disease, narrowing of the arteries to both kidneys, liver disease, or a history of swelling reactions (angioedema) to any medicine.
• Potassium supplements, salt substitutes, potassium-sparing diuretics, and NSAIDs can raise blood potassium to unsafe levels when combined with candesartan.
• Combining candesartan with an ACE inhibitor or with aliskiren, especially if you have diabetes, increases the risk of kidney problems, high potassium, and low blood pressure; this combination is usually avoided.

Side effects

Common effects include dizziness, headache, tiredness, and a mild rise in blood potassium.

Stop and seek urgent medical care for any of these:

• Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, or difficulty breathing.
• Severe dizziness or fainting.
• Little or no urination, or swelling in the legs, suggesting kidney trouble.
• A fast or irregular heartbeat, or muscle weakness from high potassium.

Safety essentials

• Pregnancy is contraindicated. Candesartan can injure or kill a developing fetus, so use reliable contraception and switch to a pregnancy-safe medicine if you are planning a pregnancy.
• Have blood pressure, kidney function, and potassium checked before starting and periodically during treatment, especially after a dose increase.
• Dehydration, vomiting, or diarrhea can drop your blood pressure further while on this medicine; tell your doctor if you become unwell.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.