Rarely exforge may cause breakdown of the skeletal muscle tissue which may lead to kidney failure. You should therefore contact you doctor immediately if you experience unexplained muscle tenderness, pain or weakness, or if you experience unusual fatigue, fever or dark colored urine.
How Does Exforge Work?
Exforge medicine is made up of valsartan and amlodipine. Valsartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist. Exforge effectively prevents the narrowing of the blood vessels hence lowering blood pressure and promoting the flow of blood. Amlodipine on the other hand blocks calcium channels and it relaxes the blood vessels and heart muscles.
How Effective is Exforge?
Exforge is used effectively in treating hypertension. Exforge is usually prescribed in a case where other drugs have been defeated in treating hypertension.
Pregnant women should not take exforge. This drug can harm the unborn child. If you get pregnant stop using exforge immediately and inform your doctor. Diabetic patients should not take exforge with other drugs that contain aliskiren. Such drugs include tekturna, amturnide, valturna and tekamlo.
You should not use salt substitutes or potassium supplements while taking exforge, unless your physician advices so.
You should avoid getting up fast from lying or sitting position after taking exforge. This is because you may feel dizzy and fall.
What is the Recommended Dosage of Exforge?
General Adult Dosage of Exforge for Treating Hypertension:
The initial dosage of exforge is given based on the tolerance and effectiveness for single individual component. Clinical trials dose for each component is Valstran 160 milligrams to 320 milligrams and Amlodipine 5 milligrams to 10 milligrams, administered orally, once in a day.
Generally, antihypertensive effectiveness increases as the dose of exforge increases.
You should not take exforge if you are allergic to valsartan (Diovan) or Amlodipine (Norvasc). Diabetic patients should not take Exforge together with drugs that contain aliskiren, these are drugs such as tekturna, amturnide, valturna and tekamlo.
Kidney disease patients may also avoid using exforge with drugs that contains aliskiren. To ensure your safety with taking exforge, inform your doctor if;
- You have kidney problem or on dialysis,
- You have liver disease,
- You have congestive heart failure,
- You are diabetic,
- You have chest pain (angina) or severe coronary artery disease,
- You have diarrhea or vomiting,
- You recently suffered from a heart attack,
- You suffered before from allergic reaction blood pressure or heart medications.
Patients using beta blocker medications such as coreg, betapace, dutoprol, corgard, innopran, inderal, normodyne, lopressor, tenoretic, tenormin, trandate, toprol and others, must not stop taking these drugs without informing their doctors. This is because beta-blocker drugs can cause severe heart problems that Exforge cannot prevent if stopped abruptly.
Pregnant women should not use exforge. Valsartan is fatal to unborn child or can cause injury to the unborn baby. Inform your doctor if you get pregnant and stop the drug immediately. Use effective birth control when using Exforge.
It is not yet confirmed whether valsartan or amlodipine passes into breast milk. You should stop breastfeeding if you are taking exforge for your child’s safety.
Exforge should not be used with people under 18 years.
What are the Side Effects of Exforge?
Common side effects of exforge include:
- Dizziness, spinning sensation are side effects of exforge
- Cold symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat.
Seek immediate medical help if you experience allergic reaction to exforge such as difficulty in breathing, hives, swelling on your throat, lips, face or tongue.
Rarely exforge may cause breakdown of the skeletal muscle tissue which may lead to kidney failure. You should therefore contact you doctor immediately if you experience unexplained muscle tenderness, pain or weakness, or if you have unusual fatigue, fever or dark colored urine.
Contact your doctor immediately if you have the following severe side effects of exforge:
- A light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;
- Rapid weight gain, swelling in your hands or feet;
- Pounding or fast heartbeats;
- Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin)
- Chest pain or heavy feeling, pain that spreads to the arm or shoulder, sweating, nausea, general ill feeling.
