Common questions about irbesartan

Irbesartan is a type of blood pressure-lowering medicine called an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB).

Like other angiotensin receptor blockers, irbesartan relaxes and widens your blood vessels. This lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood around your body.

If you have diabetic kidney disease, it helps to protect your kidneys and slows down the disease. It does this by reducing the amount of protein you lose through your kidneys and by reducing high blood pressure.

Irbesartan starts to work after about 2 hours to reduce high blood pressure but it may take up to 4 to 6 weeks to take full effect.

If you have high blood pressure, you may not have any symptoms. In this case, you may not feel any different when you take irbesartan. This does not mean that the medicine is not working. It's important to keep taking it.

Irbesartan is generally safe to take for a long time. In fact, it works best when you take it for a long time.

Taking irbesartan for a long time can sometimes cause your kidneys to not work as well as they should. Your doctor will check how well your kidneys are working with regular blood tests.

Even if irbesartan has successfully lowered your blood pressure, it's best to carry on taking it.

If you stop taking irbesartan, your blood pressure could go back up again.

If you need blood pressure-lowering medicines, you'll probably need to take them for the rest of your life.

Remember, by keeping your blood pressure low, you're protecting yourself against having a heart attack or stroke in the future.

Irbesartan works as well as other angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) such as candesartan, losartan and valsartan when it's used to lower blood pressure. Its side effects are also similar.

It also works as well as ramipril and other angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to lower blood pressure.

Irbesartan can be used by people who have tried taking ramipril or other ACE inhibitors but had to stop taking them because the medicine gave them a dry, irritating cough.

There are also lots of other types of blood pressure-lowering medicines, such as:

• calcium-channel blockers like amlodipine
• beta blockers like bisoprolol
• tablets which make you pee more (diuretics) like bendroflumethiazide

The medicine you're prescribed depends on your age and ethnicity:

• if you're under 55 you'll usually be offered an ACE inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker unless you're of African Caribbean or Black African origin
• if you're aged 55 or older, you'll usually be offered a calcium channel blocker
• if you're any age and of African Caribbean or Black African origin, you'll usually be offered a calcium channel blocker

Many people need to take a combination of different blood pressure-lowering medicines.

If you're going to be put to sleep (have a general anaesthetic) for an operation or dental procedure, tell the doctor or dental surgeon that you're taking irbesartan.

This is because general anaesthetics can reduce your blood pressure.

Your doctor or dental surgeon will probably advise you to stop taking irbesartan 24 hours before surgery.

There's some evidence that irbesartan might help prevent migraines. But irbesartan is not officially approved for migraines.

Your doctor would probably advise you to try other medicines first.

There have been some studies looking into whether blood pressure medicines could help protect people against Alzheimer's disease.

But at the moment there's not enough evidence to recommend taking irbesartan or other similar medicines for Alzheimer's disease.

There are steps you can take that may reduce your risk of Alzheimer's.

If you're worried about getting Alzheimer's disease in the future or have a family history of this condition, speak to your doctor.

Irbesartan will not affect any type of contraception.

However, some types of hormonal methods of contraception, such as the combined contraceptive pill and contraceptive patch, are not usually recommended if you have high blood pressure.

Talk to your doctor if you're taking or using a combined hormonal contraceptive.

If irbesartan makes you sick (vomit) or have severe diarrhoea for over 24 hours, your contraception may not protect you from pregnancy. If this happens, follow the instructions in the leaflet that comes with your contraceptive pills.

Find out more about what to do if you're on the pill and you vomit or have diarrhoea.

Irbesartan can make some people feel dizzy, especially when they first start taking it or after taking a bigger dose.

If this happens to you, do not drive a car, ride a bike, or use tools or machinery until you feel better.

It's an offence to drive a car if your ability to drive safely is affected. It's your responsibility to decide if it's safe to drive. If you're in any doubt, do not drive.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure whether it's safe for you to drive while taking irbesartan. GOV.UK has more information on the law on drugs and driving.

Yes, but be careful as drinking alcohol can increase the blood pressure-lowering effect of irbesartan, which can make you feel dizzy or lightheaded.

During the first few days of taking irbesartan or after a dose increase, it's best not to drink alcohol until you see how the medicine affects you.

If you find irbesartan makes you feel dizzy, it's best to stop drinking alcohol.

Do not use salt substitutes such as Lo-Salt. This is because they are high in potassium.

When mixed with irbesartan, they may make the level of potassium in your blood too high.

Apart from not drinking too much alcohol, there's nothing else you need to avoid while taking irbesartan.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help if you have high blood pressure or heart failure.

You can boost the health of your heart by making some key lifestyle changes.

These will also help if you have high blood pressure:

• Quit smoking – smoking increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Quitting smoking brings down your blood pressure and relieves heart failure symptoms. Try to avoid second-hand smoke.
• Cut down on alcohol – drinking too much alcohol raises blood pressure over time and also makes heart failure worse. Men and women should not drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. A standard glass of wine (175ml) is 2 units. A pint of lager or beer is usually 2 to 3 units of alcohol.
• Exercise – regular exercise lowers blood pressure by keeping your heart and blood vessels in good condition. It does not need to be too energetic. Walking every day will help.
• Eat well – aim to eat a diet that includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products and lean proteins. It's a good idea to follow these tips for a lower salt diet, too. Eating too much salt is the biggest cause of high blood pressure. The more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure will be. Aim for no more than 6g of salt a day.
• Deal with stress – when you're anxious or upset, your heart beats faster, you breathe more heavily and your blood pressure often goes up. This can make heart failure worse, too. Find ways to reduce stress in your life. To give your heart a rest, try napping or putting your feet up when possible. Spend time with friends and family to be social and help avoid stress.
• Vaccinations – if you have heart failure, it's recommended that you have the flu vaccine every year and the pneumococcal vaccine as recommended by your GP. Ask your doctor about these vaccinations. You can have them free on the NHS. The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is recommended for most people. Make sure you've had all the doses that you are eligible for. Talk to your doctor if you think you might be in one of the high risk groups.