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Take Control

Taking Control of Hypertension1

High blood pressure can lead to other serious health conditions. It is especially important to manage your blood pressure if you have other medical conditions, like diabetes or kidney disease, that can make high blood pressure more difficult to treat and more serious.

Getting your blood pressure under control2
Changing your lifestyle can help with high blood pressure. (Consult with your doctor before choosing any of these lifestyle changes. Individual results may vary.)

  • Follow a healthy eating plan that includes cutting down on salt and eating foods such as fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products
  • Lose excess weight to stay healthy
  • Get physically active (for example, walking 30 minutes every day)
  • Quit smoking
  • Limit alcohol

But sometimes lifestyle changes aren't enough. In addition to diet and exercise, your doctor may want you to take medicine to lower your blood pressure.

Important Note: Consult your doctor before starting an exercise program.

More about diet

More about exercise

More about managing stress

If lifestyle is not enough, you may need medicine2
If your blood pressure is still high, even with your new healthy eating and exercise plan, your doctor may want you to take medicine as well to help lower blood pressure.

Different types of blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Often, two or more medicines work better than one. Some medicines lower blood pressure by removing extra fluid and salt from your body. Others lower blood pressure by slowing down your heartbeat or by relaxing and widening blood vessels.

Did You Know?

Exercise may lower your blood pressure

If you have high blood pressure, exercising can lower your numbers. That means doing it daily has a much bigger effect than just a few times a week. Individual results may vary.

Important Note: Consult your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Moderate-Level Physical Activities. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/p_active/m_l_phys.htm. Accessed May 28, 2008.

Track Your Progress

Share your progress
toward your blood
pressure goal with
your doctor.

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References

1. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/treat/treat.htm. Accessed May 28, 2008.

2. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. How Is High Blood Pressure Treated? Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases
/Hbp/HBP_Treatments.html. Accessed May 28, 2008.

What are BENICAR (olmesartan medoxomil) and BENICAR HCT (olmesartan medoxomil-hydrochlorothiazide)?

BENICAR and BENICAR HCT are prescription drugs used for the treatment of high blood pressure. The active ingredient in BENICAR is olmesartan medoxomil. BENICAR HCT contains two different active ingredients in one tablet, namely BENICAR and a thiazide diuretic known as hydrochlorothiazide or HCTZ. HCTZ is also used for the treatment of high blood pressure and works by removing water from your bloodstream.

BENICAR HCT is for patients who need even more blood pressure reductions than are obtained with BENICAR or HCTZ alone, but BENICAR HCT should not be used for initial blood pressure therapy.

BENICAR or BENICAR HCT may be used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat high blood pressure.

Important Patient Safety Information

USE IN PREGNANCY

When used in pregnancy during the second and third trimesters, drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and even death to the developing fetus. When pregnancy is detected, BENICAR or BENICAR HCT should be discontinued as soon as possible. See WARNINGS, Fetal/Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality in the product information.

BENICAR and BENICAR HCT should not be used during pregnancy.

Additionally, the thiazide component of BENICAR HCT can cross the placental barrier and appear in umbilical cord blood. This increases the risk of fetal or neonatal jaundice, low blood platelet counts, and possibly other adverse reactions that have occurred in adults.

What should I tell my health care provider?

Be sure to tell your health care provider if you are trying to become pregnant, are already pregnant, or are breast-feeding.

It is particularly important to tell your health care provider if you are currently taking diuretics (water pills), because starting BENICAR therapy in some patients taking diuretics or who may have low salt or fluid levels may increase the possibility of hypotension (low blood pressure) that may require treatment.

Tell your health care provider if you have kidney or liver problems. While no initial dosage adjustments for BENICAR or BENICAR HCT are recommended for patients with moderate to marked kidney or liver problems, nor in those who are elderly, your health care provider may want to monitor you more closely and may consider starting you on a lower dose of BENICAR or BENICAR HCT.

If you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription medicines, including vitamins and herbal supplements, tell your health care provider. This information can help your health care provider avoid possible interactions with BENICAR or BENICAR HCT. If you decide to stop taking BENICAR or BENICAR HCT for any reason, you should notify your health care provider as soon as possible.

In addition to the Safety Information for BENICAR and BENICAR HCT (described above), is there safety information about the hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) component in BENICAR HCT?

Because of the HCTZ ingredient in BENICAR HCT, you should not take BENICAR HCT if you have severe kidney disease, are unable to urinate, or are sensitive to other sulfonamide-derived drugs.

Thiazide diuretics (such as HCTZ) should be used with caution if you have impaired liver function or progressive liver disease.

Thiazide diuretics (such as HCTZ) have also been reported to aggravate a condition known as systemic lupus erythematosus.

Hypersensitivity reactions to hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) may occur even if you do not have a history of allergy or bronchial asthma, but may be more likely if you have a history of such reactions.

Lithium generally should not be given if you are taking a thiazide diuretic (such as HCTZ), which is one of the active medications in BENICAR HCT.

What are some possible side effects of BENICAR and BENICAR HCT?

The most common side effect with BENICAR is dizziness. In clinical studies, dizziness occurred in more than 1% of patients treated with BENICAR and more frequently than placebo (3% with BENICAR and 1% with placebo). A placebo is an inactive, nondrug substance, such as a sugar pill, that is given in a drug study to compare the effect of a treatment including the drug being studied with the effect of the same treatment without the drug.

In clinical trials, side effects that occurred in more than 2% of patients treated with BENICAR HCT and more frequently than placebo ("sugar pill") were nausea (3% with BENICAR HCT and 0% with placebo), higher levels of uric acid in the blood (4% with BENICAR HCT and 2% with placebo), dizziness (9% with BENICAR HCT and 2% with placebo), and upper respiratory tract infection (7% with BENICAR HCT and 0% with placebo).

In these studies, treatment with BENICAR or BENICAR HCT was well tolerated and the incidence of adverse events was similar to placebo. Call your health care provider if you experience any unpleasant effects when taking BENICAR or BENICAR HCT.

Please see full product information for BENICAR and BENICAR HCT, including boxed WARNING regarding use in Pregnancy.

The content provided herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Talk to your doctor for more information about your specific condition.

The photos depict models, not actual patients or healthcare professionals.

This information is intended for U.S. residents only.
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