Introduction
Package Leaflet: Information for the User
Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas 32 mg/12.5 mg Tablets EFG
candesartan cilexetil/hydrochlorothiazide
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
- Keep this leaflet, you may need to read it again.
- If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
- This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
Contents of the pack
- What Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas is and what it is used for
- What you need to know before you take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
- How to take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
- Possible side effects
- Storage of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
- Contents of the pack and other information
1. What Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas is and what it is used for
Your medicine is called Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas. It is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) in adult patients. It contains two active ingredients: candesartan cilexetil and hydrochlorothiazide. Both work together to lower your blood pressure.
- Candesartan cilexetil belongs to a group of medicines called angiotensin II receptor antagonists. It makes the blood vessels relax and widen. This helps to lower your blood pressure.
- Hydrochlorothiazide belongs to a group of medicines called diuretics. It helps your body get rid of water and salts (like sodium) in your urine. This helps to lower your blood pressure.
Your doctor may prescribe Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas if your blood pressure has not been controlled well enough with candesartan cilexetil or hydrochlorothiazide alone.
2. What you need to know before you take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
Do not take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas:
- if you are allergic to candesartan cilexetil, hydrochlorothiazide or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
- if you are allergic to sulfonamides. If you are not sure if this applies to you, consult your doctor.
- if you are more than 3 months pregnant (it is also better to avoid Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas during the first months of pregnancy – see section on Pregnancy).
- if you have severe kidney disease.
- if you have severe liver disease or biliary obstruction (problems with bile drainage from the gall bladder).
- if you have persistent low potassium levels in your blood.
- if you have persistent high calcium levels in your blood.
- if you have ever had gout.
- if you have diabetes or kidney problems and are being treated with a blood pressure medicine that contains aliskiren.
If you are not sure if any of these apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas.
Warnings and precautions
Consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine if:
- you have diabetes.
- you have heart, liver or kidney problems.
- you have recently had a kidney transplant.
- you have been vomiting, have had frequent vomiting recently, or have diarrhea.
- you have a condition called primary hyperaldosteronism (also known as Conn's syndrome).
- you have ever had a condition called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
- you have low blood pressure.
- you have ever had a stroke.
- you have ever had an allergy or asthma.
- tell your doctor if you are pregnant (or think you might be). Your doctor will normally advise you to stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas before you become pregnant or as soon as you know you are pregnant and will advise you to take another medicine instead of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas. Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas should not be used during the first trimester of pregnancy and must not be used after the third month of pregnancy as it may cause serious harm to your baby after this time (see section on Pregnancy).
- if you are taking any of the following medicines used to treat high blood pressure:
- an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor) (e.g. enalapril, lisinopril, ramipril), especially if you have kidney problems related to diabetes.
- aliskiren.
- if you have had skin cancer or if you get an unexpected skin lesion during treatment. Treatment with hydrochlorothiazide, particularly long-term use at high doses, may increase the risk of some types of skin and lip cancer (non-melanoma skin cancer). Protect your skin from sun exposure and UV rays while taking candesartan/hydrochlorothiazide.
- if you experience a decrease in vision or eye pain, these could be symptoms of fluid accumulation in the vascular layer of the eye (choroidal effusion) or increased pressure in the eye, and can occur within hours to weeks after taking candesartan/hydrochlorothiazide. This can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated. If you have previously had or have an allergy to penicillin or sulfonamide, you may have a higher risk of developing this side effect.
- If you have had respiratory or lung problems (such as inflammation or fluid in the lungs) after taking hydrochlorothiazide in the past. If you experience shortness of breath or severe difficulty breathing after taking candesartan/hydrochlorothiazide, seek medical attention immediately.
Your doctor may check your kidney function, blood pressure, and blood electrolyte levels (e.g. potassium) at regular intervals.
Consult your doctor if you experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea after taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas. Your doctor will decide whether to continue treatment. Do not stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas on your own.
See also the information under the heading “Do not take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas”.
If you are in any of these situations, your doctor may want to see you more often and do some tests.
If you are going to have surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas. This is because Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas, in combination with some anesthetics, may cause a marked fall in blood pressure.
Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas may increase your sensitivity to the sun.
Use in children
There is no experience with the use of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide in children (under 18 years). Therefore, Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas should not be given to children.
Taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas with other medicines
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are using, have recently used or might use any other medicines.
Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas may affect the way some medicines work and some medicines may affect the way Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas works. If you are using certain medicines, your doctor may need to do blood tests from time to time.
In particular, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following medicines:
- Other medicines to lower your blood pressure, including beta-blockers, medicines that contain aliskiren, diazoxide, and ACE inhibitors such as enalapril, captopril, lisinopril, or ramipril.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, celecoxib, or etoricoxib (medicines to relieve pain and inflammation).
diclofenac, celecoxib, or etoricoxib (medicines to relieve pain and inflammation).
- Acetylsalicylic acid (if you take more than 3 g a day) (a medicine to relieve pain and inflammation).
- Potassium supplements or salt substitutes containing potassium (medicines to increase potassium levels in the blood).
- Calcium supplements or vitamin D.
- Medicines to lower cholesterol, such as colestipol or cholestyramine.
- Medicines for diabetes (tablets or insulin).
- Medicines to control your heart rate (anti-arrhythmic agents) such as digoxin and beta-blockers.
- Medicines that may be affected by potassium levels in the blood, such as certain antipsychotic medicines.
- Heparin (a medicine to increase blood fluidity).
- Diuretics (medicines to increase urine production).
- Laxatives.
- Penicillin or cotrimoxazole, also known as trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (antibiotics).
- Amphotericin (for the treatment of fungal infections).
- Lithium (a medicine for mental health problems).
- Corticosteroids such as prednisolone.
- Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
- Medicines for cancer treatment.
- Amantadine (for the treatment of Parkinson's disease or severe viral infections).
- Barbiturates (a type of sedative, also used to treat epilepsy).
- Carbenoxolone (for the treatment of esophageal disease or mouth ulcers).
- Anticholinergic agents such as atropine and biperiden.
- Cyclosporin, a medicine used for organ transplants to prevent organ rejection.
- Other medicines that may increase the blood pressure-lowering effect, such as baclofen (a medicine to relieve spasticity), amifostine (used in cancer treatment), and some antipsychotic medicines.
Your doctor may need to change your dose and/or take other precautions:
- If you are taking an ACE inhibitor or aliskiren (see also the information under the headings “Do not take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas” and “Warnings and precautions”)
Taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas with food, drinks, and alcohol
You can take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas with or without food.
When Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas is prescribed, consult your doctor before drinking alcohol. Alcohol may make you feel dizzy or faint.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Pregnancy
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant (or think you might be). Your doctor will normally advise you to stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas before you become pregnant or as soon as you know you are pregnant and will advise you to take another medicine instead of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas. Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas should not be used during the first trimester of pregnancy and must not be used after the third month of pregnancy as it may cause serious harm to your baby after this time (see section on Pregnancy).
Breastfeeding
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding. Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas is not recommended during breastfeeding, and your doctor may choose another treatment for you if you want to breastfeed, especially if your baby is newborn or premature.
Driving and using machines
Some patients may feel tired or dizzy when taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas. If this happens to you, do not drive or use tools or machines.
Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas contains lactose
This medicine contains lactose. If your doctor has told you that you have an intolerance to some sugars, consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
3. How to take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. If you are not sure, check with your doctor or pharmacist.
It is important to keep taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas every day.
The recommended dose of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas is one tablet once a day.
Swallow the tablet with a glass of water.
Try to take the tablet at the same time each day. This will help you remember to take it.
If you take more Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas than you should
If you have taken more Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas than your doctor prescribed, contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicology Information Service, phone: 91 562 04 20, indicating the medicine and the amount taken.
If you forget to take Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
Do not take a double dose to make up for forgotten doses. Simply take the next dose as usual.
If you stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
If you stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas, your blood pressure may increase again. Therefore, do not stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas without talking to your doctor.
If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible Adverse Effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause adverse effects, although not all people suffer from them.
It is essential that you know what these adverse effects might be. Some of the adverse effects of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas are due to candesartan cilexetil and others are due to hydrochlorothiazide.
Stop taking Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas and go to the doctor immediately if you have any of the following allergic reactions:
- Difficulty breathing, with or without swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat.
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat, which can cause difficulty swallowing.
- Intense itching of the skin (with rash).
Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas may cause a decrease in white blood cells. Your resistance to infections may decrease, and you may feel tired, have an infection, or fever. If this happens, inform your doctor. It is possible that your doctor will perform blood tests from time to time to check that Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas is not affecting your blood (agranulocytosis).
Other possible adverse effects include:
Frequent (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Changes in blood test results:
- A reduction in sodium levels in the blood. If severe, you may feel weak, lack energy, or have muscle cramps.
- An increase or reduction in potassium levels in the blood, especially if you already have kidney problems or heart failure. If this situation is severe, you may feel tired, weak, have irregular heartbeats, or tingling.
- An increase in cholesterol, glucose, or uric acid levels in the blood.
- Presence of glucose in urine.
- Feeling of dizziness/rotation or weakness.
- Headache.
- Respiratory infection.
Infrequent (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
- Low blood pressure. This can cause dizziness or fainting.
- Loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation, stomach irritation.
- Rash, hives, skin reaction caused by sensitivity to sunlight.
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes). If this happens, contact your doctor immediately.
- Effects on kidney function, especially if you already have kidney problems or heart failure.
- Difficulty sleeping, depression, or restlessness.
- Tingling or pinching in arms and legs.
- Blurred vision for a short period.
- Abnormal heartbeats.
- High temperature (fever).
- Pancreatitis. This causes moderate to severe stomach pain.
- Muscle cramps.
- Damage to blood vessels that produce red or purple spots on the skin.
- A decrease in red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. You may feel tired, have an infection, fever, or bruise easily.
- Severe skin reaction that develops rapidly, causing blisters or peeling of the skin, and possibly blisters in the mouth.
Very Rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat.
- Itching.
- Back pain, joint and muscle pain.
- Changes in liver function, including liver inflammation (hepatitis). You may feel tired, have a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, and have flu-like symptoms.
- Cough.
- Nausea.
- Acute difficulty breathing (signs include severe difficulty breathing, fever, weakness, and confusion).
Frequency Not Known (cannot be estimated from the available data)
- Sudden myopia.
- Decreased vision or eye pain due to high pressure [possible signs of fluid accumulation in the vascular layer of the eye (choroidal effusion) or acute angle-closure glaucoma].
- Systemic and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (allergic condition that causes fever, joint pain, skin rashes that can include redness, blisters, peeling, and lumps).
- Diarrhea.
- Skin and lip cancer (non-melanoma skin cancer).
- Intestinal angioedema: swelling in the intestine that presents symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Reporting of Adverse Effects:
If you experience any type of adverse effect, consult your doctor or pharmacist, even if it is a possible adverse effect that does not appear in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Human Use Medicines: https://www.notificaram.es. By reporting adverse effects, you can contribute to providing more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. Conservation of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
Keep this medicine out of sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiration date that appears on the label or packaging after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
This medicine does not require special storage conditions.
Medicines should not be thrown down the drain or into the trash. Deposit the packaging and medicines you no longer need at the SIGRE point in the pharmacy. In case of doubt, ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medicines you no longer need. This way, you will help protect the environment.
6. Package Contents and Additional Information
Composition of Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas
- The active ingredients are candesartan cilexetil and hydrochlorothiazide. Each tablet contains 32 mg of candesartan cilexetil and 12.5 mg of hydrochlorothiazide.
- The other components are lactose monohydrate, hydroxypropyl cellulose, calcium carmellose, aluminum and magnesium metasilicate (type IA) (contains aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, and silicon dioxide), yellow iron oxide (E172), propylene glycol, and magnesium stearate (E572).
Appearance of the Product and Package Contents
Tablet.
Uncoated yellow oval-shaped tablets, marked with "J" and "07" on either side of the score line on one face and smooth with a score line on the other face of the tablet. The tablet can be divided into equal doses.
Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Aurovitas tablets are available in blisters and PEAD jars.
Blister packs: 14, 28, 30, 56, 98, 100, and 300 tablets
PEAD jars: 30 and 500 tablets.
Only some pack sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder
Aurovitas Spain, S.A.U.
Avda. de Burgos, 16-D
28036 Madrid,
Spain
Phone: 91 630 86 45
Fax: 91 630 26 64
Manufacturer
APL Swift Services (Malta) Limited
HF26, Hal Far Industrial Estate, Hal Far
Birzebbugia, BBG 3000
Malta
This medicine is authorized in the Member States of the European Economic Area under the following names:
Germany: Candesartan comp. Aurobindo 32 mg/12.5 mg Tabletten
Bulgaria: ?????? HCT Aurobindo 32 mg/12.5 mg ???????
Spain: Candesartán/Hidroclorotiazida Aurovitas 32 mg/12.5 mg comprimidos EFG
Malta: Candesartan/Hydrochlorothiazide 32 mg/12.5 mg tablets
Poland: Candesartan + Hydrochlorothiazide Vitama
Date of the last revision of this leaflet:February 2025
Detailed information about this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS)http://www.aemps.gob.es/