Both prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases require a responsible and serious approach. These kinds of problems are increasingly bothering people today. Therefore, many tend to treat them somewhat frivolously. Such people often either completely ignore the need to undergo treatment, or take drugs without a doctor's prescription (on the advice of friends). However, it is important to remember that the fact that some medicine has helped another does not guarantee that it will help you either. To form a treatment regimen, enough knowledge and skills that only specialists have is required. You can also prescribe any drugs only taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient’s body, the severity of the disease, the features of its course and anamnesis. In addition, today there are many effective medicines that only specialists can select and prescribe. For example, this applies to sartans - a special group of medicinal substances (they are also called angiotensin 2 receptor blockers). What are these drugs? How do angiotensin 2 receptor blockers work? Contraindications to the use of substances belong to which groups of patients? In what cases would it be appropriate to apply them? What drugs are included in this group of substances? The answers to all these and some other questions will be discussed in detail in this article.
Sartans
The group of substances under consideration is also called as follows: angiotensin receptor blockers 2. The drugs belonging to this group of drugs were produced through a thorough study of the causes of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Today, their use in cardiology is becoming more common.
Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers: mechanism of action
Before you start using prescribed medications, it’s important to understand how they work. How do angiotensin 2 receptor blockers affect the human body? The drugs of this group bind to receptors, thus blocking a significant increase in blood pressure. This helps to effectively prevent hypertension. Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers are the most effective substances in this regard. Specialists pay due attention to them.
Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers: classification
There are several types of sartans that differ in their chemical structure. It is possible to choose angiotensin 2 receptor blockers suitable for the patient. The drugs listed below will be important to research and discuss the appropriateness of their use with your healthcare provider.
So, there are four groups of sartans:
- Biphenyl derivatives of tetrazole.
- Non-biphenyl derivatives of tetrazole.
- Non-biphenyl netetrazole.
- Non-cyclic compounds.
Thus, there are several types of substances into which angiotensin 2 receptor blockers are divided. The drugs (list of main ones) are presented below:
- "Losartan."
- Eprosartan.
- Irbesartan
- Telmisartan.
- "Valsartan".
- Candesartan
Indications for use
You can take substances of this group only as prescribed by your doctor. There are several cases in which it would be reasonable to use angiotensin 2 receptor blockers. The clinical aspects of the use of the drugs in this group are as follows:
- Hypertension. This disease is considered the main indication for the use of sartans. This is due to the fact that angiotensin 2 receptor blockers do not have a negative effect on metabolism, do not provoke erectile dysfunction, and do not worsen bronchial obstruction. The effect of the drug begins two to four weeks after the start of treatment.
- Heart failure. Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers inhibit the action of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, whose activity provokes the development of the disease.
- Nephropathy As a result of diabetes and hypertension, serious impairment of kidney function occurs. Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers protect these internal organs and prevent the release of too much protein in the urine.
Losartan
An effective substance in the sartans group. "Losartan" is an angiotensin 2 receptor antagonist blocker. Its difference from other drugs is a significant increase in exercise tolerance in people suffering from heart failure. The effect of the substance becomes maximum after six hours after taking the medicine. The desired effect is achieved after three to six weeks of using the drug.
The main indications for the use of the drug in question are the following:
- heart failure;
- arterial hypertension;
- a reduction in the risk of stroke in those patients who have a prerequisite for this.
It is forbidden to use "Losartan" during the period of bearing a child and during breastfeeding, as well as in the case of individual sensitivity to individual components of the drug.
Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers, which include the drug in question, can cause certain side effects, such as dizziness, insomnia, sleep disturbance, taste, vision, tremor, depression, memory disorder, pharyngitis, cough, bronchitis, rhinitis, nausea, gastritis, toothache, diarrhea, anorexia, vomiting, convulsions, arthritis, pain in the shoulder, back, legs, palpitations, anemia, impaired renal function, impotence, weakening libido, erythema, alopecia, rash, itching, swelling, fever, gout, hyperkalemia .
The drug should be taken once a day, regardless of food intake, in doses prescribed by the attending physician.
"Valsartan"
This drug effectively reduces myocardial hypertrophy, which occurs due to the development of arterial hypertension. Cancellation syndrome after discontinuation of the drug does not appear, although some angiotensin 2 receptor blockers cause it (the description of the sartans group helps to find out which drugs this property belongs to).
The main indications for taking the substance in question are the following conditions: myocardial infarction, primary or secondary hypertension, congestive heart failure.
Tablets are taken orally. They should be swallowed without chewing. The dose of the drug is prescribed by the attending physician. But the maximum amount of substance that can be taken during the day is six hundred and forty milligrams.
Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers can sometimes have an adverse effect on the body. Side effects that Valsartan can cause are: decreased libido, itching, dizziness, neutropenia, loss of consciousness, sinusitis, insomnia, myalgia, diarrhea, anemia, cough, back pain , vertigo, nausea, vasculitis, edema, rhinitis. If any of the above reactions occur, contact a specialist immediately.
Candesartan
The preparation in question is made in the form of tablets for oral administration. It must be taken once or twice a day at the same time, regardless of food intake. Carefully adhere to the recommendations of specialists. It is important not to stop taking the drug even when you feel better. Otherwise, this can offset the effectiveness of the drug.
When using it, you should be careful for those patients who suffer from diabetes mellitus, renal failure or have a baby. All of these conditions must be notified to specialists.
Telmisartan
The drug in question is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in a fairly short time. It can be taken regardless of food intake. The main indication for use is arterial hypertension. The half-life of the drug is more than twenty hours. The drug is excreted through the intestine almost unchanged.
It is forbidden to take the drug in question during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
The drug can cause the following side effects: insomnia, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, depression, abdominal pain, pharyngitis, rash, cough, myalgia, urinary tract infections, low blood pressure, chest pain, palpitations, anemia.
Eprosartan
The drug in question should be taken once a day. The recommended amount of the drug for single use is six hundred milligrams. The maximum effect is achieved after two to three weeks of use. Eprosartan can be both a part of complex therapy and the main component of monotherapy.
In no case should you use the drug in question during lactation or pregnancy.
What adverse reactions may occur when using Eprosartan? Among them, the following are distinguished: weakness, diarrhea, dizziness, headache, rhinitis, cough, shortness of breath, swelling, chest pain.
Irbesartan
The drug in question is taken orally. It is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in a short time. The maximum concentration of a substance in the blood occurs already after one and a half to two hours. Eating does not affect the effectiveness of the drug.
If the patient is prescribed hemodialysis, this does not affect the mechanism of action of Irbesartan. This substance is not excreted from the human body through hemodialysis. Similarly, the drug can be safely taken by patients suffering from cirrhosis of the liver of mild or moderate severity.
The drug should be swallowed without chewing. Its use does not need to be combined with food intake. The optimal initial dosage is considered one hundred fifty milligrams per day. Elderly patients are advised to start treatment with seventy milligrams. During treatment, your doctor may decide to change the dosage (for example, to increase it if there is insufficient therapeutic effect on the body). In this case, the patient may be prescribed three hundred milligrams of the drug or, in principle, replace the main drug. For example, for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension, the dosage should be gradually changed from one hundred and fifty milligrams per day to three hundred milligrams (this is the amount of medication that is most effective in combating nephropathy).
There are certain features of the use of the drug in question. So, patients suffering from a violation of the water-electrolyte balance, before starting treatment, it is necessary to eliminate some of its manifestations (hyponatremia).
If a person has impaired renal function, then his treatment regimen may be the same as if there was no such problem. The same applies to mild and moderate hepatic dysfunction. At the same time, with simultaneous hemodialysis, the initial amount of the drug should be halved compared to the usual one and amount to seventy-five milligrams per day.
Experts do not recommend the use of the drug in question for minors, since it has not been established how safe and effective it is for patients of this age.
"Irbesartan" is strictly contraindicated for use by women who have a baby, since it directly affects the process of fetal development. If pregnancy has occurred at the time of treatment, the latter should be immediately canceled. It is recommended to switch to the use of alternative drugs before planning pregnancy. The drug in question is not allowed to be used during breastfeeding, as there is no information as to whether this substance passes into breast milk.
To summarize
Maintaining your health is a personal responsibility of every person. And the older the age, the more effort you will have to make. However, the pharmaceutical industry is providing invaluable assistance in this, constantly working to create better and more effective drugs. In particular, angiotensin 2 receptor blockers considered in this article are actively used in the fight against cardiovascular diseases. Drugs, the list of which was given and discussed in detail in this article, should be used and applied as directed by the attending physician, who is well acquainted with the current the patient’s health status, and only under his constant control. Among these medicines, “Losartan”, “Eprosartan”, “Irbesartan”, “Telmisartan”, “Valsartan” and “Candesartan” are distinguished. The drugs in question are prescribed only in the following cases: in the presence of hypertension, nephropathy and heart failure.
If you want to start self-medication, it is important to remember the danger that is associated with this. Firstly, when using the drugs in question, it is important to strictly observe the dosage and adjust it from time to time depending on the current condition of the patient. Only a professional can carry out all these procedures in the right way. Since only the attending physician can, based on the examination and analysis results, prescribe the appropriate dosage and accurately formulate a treatment regimen. After all, therapy will be effective only if the patient adheres to the recommendations of the doctor.
On the other hand, it is important to do our best to improve our own physical condition by observing the rules of a healthy lifestyle. Such patients need to correctly adjust their sleep and wakefulness regimes, maintain water balance, and also adjust their eating habits (after all, poor-quality nutrition that does not provide the body with enough essential nutrients will not allow you to recover in a normal rhythm).
Choose quality medicines. Take care of yourself and your loved ones. Be healthy!