TELMISARTAN/HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE RATIOGEN 40 mg/12.5 mg TABLETS

Introduction

Package Leaflet: Information for the User

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen 40 mg/12.5 mg Tablets EFG

Read the entire package leaflet carefully before starting to take this medicine, as it contains important information for you.

• Keep this package leaflet, as you may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed to you only, and you should not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours.
• If you experience any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this package leaflet. See section 4.

Contents of the Package Leaflet

1. What is Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen and what is it used for
2. What you need to know before taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen
3. How to take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen
4. Possible side effects
5. Storage of Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen
6. Package contents and further information

1. What is Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen and what is it used for

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen is a combination of two active substances, telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide, in one tablet. Both active substances help to control high blood pressure.

• Telmisartan belongs to a group of medicines known as angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Angiotensin II is a substance produced in your body that causes your blood vessels to narrow, thus increasing your blood pressure.

Telmisartan blocks the effect of angiotensin II, which means that your blood vessels relax and your blood pressure is reduced.

• Hydrochlorothiazide belongs to a group of medicines known as thiazide diuretics, which increase the amount of urine your body produces, leading to a decrease in your blood pressure.

High blood pressure, if left untreated, can damage the blood vessels in various organs, which can sometimes lead to a heart attack, heart failure, or kidney failure, stroke, or blindness. Usually, there are no symptoms of high blood pressure before damage occurs. Therefore, it is important to regularly check your blood pressure to ensure it is within the normal range.

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen is used forthe treatment of high blood pressure (essential hypertension) in adults whose blood pressure is not sufficiently controlled when telmisartan is used alone.

2. What you need to know before taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen

Do not take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen:

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If any of the above applies to you, inform your doctor or pharmacist before taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen.

Warnings and precautions

Consult your doctor before starting to take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen if you are suffering from or have suffered from any of the following disorders or diseases:

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Consult your doctor before starting to take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen:

• If you are taking any of the following medicines used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension):
• • An angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor) (e.g., enalapril, lisinopril, ramipril), especially if you have kidney problems related to diabetes.
  • Aliskiren

Your doctor may check your kidney function, blood pressure, and blood electrolyte levels (e.g., potassium) at regular intervals. See also the information under the heading "Do not take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen".

• If you are taking digoxin.
• 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 Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen, seek medical attention immediately.

Consult your doctor if you experience abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea after taking telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide. Your doctor will decide whether to continue treatment. Do not stop taking telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide.

If you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant, inform your doctor. Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen is not recommended during pregnancy and should not be taken after the third month of pregnancy, as it may cause serious harm to your baby. See the section on Pregnancy.

Treatment with hydrochlorothiazide may cause an electrolyte imbalance in your body. Typical symptoms of fluid or electrolyte imbalance include dry mouth, weakness, lethargy, somnolence, restlessness, pain or muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, muscle fatigue, and an abnormally fast heart rate (more than 100 beats per minute). If you experience any of these symptoms, inform your doctor.

You should also inform your doctor if you experience increased sensitivity of your skin to the sun with symptoms of sunburn (such as redness, itching, swelling, blistering) that appear more quickly than usual.

If you are going to have surgery or anesthesia, inform your doctor that you are taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen.

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen may be less effective in lowering blood pressure in black patients.

Children and adolescents

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen is not recommended for use in children and adolescents up to 18 years of age.

Athletes

This medicine contains hydrochlorothiazide, which may produce a positive result in doping tests.

Other medicines and Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen

Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines. Your doctor may need to change the dose of these other medicines or take other precautions. In some cases, it may be necessary to stop using one of these medicines, especially if you are using any of the following medicines with Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen:

• Medicines containing lithium for the treatment of certain types of depression
• Medicines associated with low potassium levels in the blood (hypokalemia), such as other diuretics, laxatives (e.g., castor oil), corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone), ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), amphotericin (an antifungal medicine), carbenoxolone (used to treat mouth ulcers), penicillin G sodium (an antibiotic), and acetylsalicylic acid and derivatives.
• Medicines that may increase potassium levels in the blood, such as potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements, salt substitutes containing potassium, ACE inhibitors, cyclosporine (an immunosuppressive medicine), and other medicines like heparin sodium (an anticoagulant).
• Medicines that are affected by changes in potassium levels in the blood, such as heart medicines (e.g., digoxin) or medicines that control your heart rate (e.g., quinidine, disopyramide, amiodarone, sotalol), medicines used for mental disorders (e.g., thioridazine, chlorpromazine, levomepromazine), and other medicines like certain antibiotics (e.g., sparfloxacin, pentamidine) or certain medicines for treating allergic reactions (e.g., terfenadine).
• Medicines for the treatment of diabetes (insulins or oral agents like metformin).
• Colestyramine and colestipol, medicines for reducing blood fat levels.
• Medicines for increasing blood pressure, such as noradrenaline.
• Muscle relaxants, such as tubocurarine.
• Calcium and/or vitamin D supplements.
• Anticholinergic medicines (medicines used to treat a variety of disorders, such as gastrointestinal spasms, urinary spasms, asthma, motion sickness, muscle spasms, Parkinson's disease, and as an aid to anesthesia) like atropine and biperiden.
• Amantadine (a medicine used to treat Parkinson's disease and also to treat or prevent certain viral diseases).
• Other medicines used to treat high blood pressure, corticosteroids, painkillers (such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]), medicines for treating cancer, gout, or arthritis.

• If you are taking an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor) or aliskiren (see also the information under the headings "Do not take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen" and "Warnings and precautions").
• Digoxin.

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen may increase the effect of other medicines that lower blood pressure or medicines that may potentially lower blood pressure (e.g., baclofen, amifostine). Additionally, the reduction in blood pressure may be increased by alcohol, barbiturates, narcotics, or antidepressants. You may notice this effect as dizziness when standing up. You should inform your doctor about the need to adjust the dose of your other medicines while using Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen.

The effect of Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen may be reduced when using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen).

Taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen with food and alcohol

You can take this medicine with or without food.

Avoid drinking alcohol until you have talked to your doctor. Alcohol may further lower your blood pressure and/or increase the risk of feeling dizzy or weak.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

Pregnancy

You should inform your doctor if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant. Your doctor will normally advise you to stop taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen before you become pregnant or as soon as you find out you are pregnant, and will recommend that you take another medicine to lower your blood pressure instead. Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen is not recommended during pregnancy and should not be taken after the third month of pregnancy, as it may cause serious harm to your baby.

Breastfeeding

Inform your doctor if you are about to start or are breastfeeding, as Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen is not recommended for use during breastfeeding. Your doctor may decide to prescribe a different treatment that is more suitable if you want to breastfeed.

Driving and using machines

Some patients feel dizzy or tired when taking Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen. If you feel dizzy or tired, do not drive or use machines.

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen contains sodium

This medicine contains less than 1 mmol of sodium (23 mg) per film-coated tablet; this is essentially "sodium-free".

3. How to take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen

Follow the instructions for administration of this medicine exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If you are unsure, consult your doctor or pharmacist again.

The recommended dose is one tablet per day. Try to take one tablet each day at the same time. You can take telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide with or without food. The tablets should be swallowed with a little water or other non-alcoholic drink. It is important that you take telmisartan/hydrochlorothiazide every day until your doctor tells you to stop.

If your liver is not working properly, the usual dose should not exceed 40 mg/12.5 mg once daily.

If you take more Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen than you should

If you accidentally take too many tablets, you may experience symptoms such as low blood pressure and a fast heart rate. Slow heart rate, dizziness, vomiting, and reduced kidney function, including kidney failure, have also been reported. Due to the hydrochlorothiazide component, you may also experience very low blood pressure and low potassium levels in the blood, which can lead to nausea, somnolence, and muscle cramps and/or irregular heartbeats associated with concomitant use of medicines like digitalis or certain antiarrhythmic treatments. Contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately or go to the nearest hospital emergency department.

In case of overdose or accidental ingestion, consult your doctor or pharmacist immediately or call the Toxicology Information Service, telephone 91 562 04 20, indicating the medicine and the amount taken.

If you forget to take Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide Ratiogen

If you forget to take your medicine, do not worry. Take the dose as soon as you remember and then continue as before. If you do not take your tablet one day, take your normal dose the next day. Do not take a double dose to make up for forgotten doses.

If you have any further questions about 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.

Some adverse effects can be serious and require immediate medical attention:

If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should visit your doctor immediately:

Sepsis* (frequently called "blood infection"), is a serious infection that involves an inflammatory reaction of the entire body, rapid swelling of the skin and mucous membranes (angioedema), blister formation and peeling of the outer layer of the skin (toxic epidermal necrolysis); these adverse effects are rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people) but are extremely serious and patients should stop taking the medicine and visit their doctor immediately. If these adverse effects are not treated, they can be fatal. An increase in the incidence of sepsis with telmisartan alone has been observed; however, it cannot be ruled out for Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide ratiogen.

Possible Adverse Effects of Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide ratiogen:

Frequent adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

Dizziness.

Uncommon adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

Decrease in potassium levels in the blood, anxiety, fainting (syncope), tingling sensation, numbness (paresthesia), dizziness (vertigo), rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), heart rhythm disturbances, low blood pressure, sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up, shortness of breath (dyspnea), diarrhea, dry mouth, flatulence, back pain, muscle spasms, muscle pain, erectile dysfunction (inability to have or maintain an erection), chest pain, and increased uric acid levels in the blood.

Rare adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)

Lung inflammation (bronchitis), activation or worsening of systemic lupus erythematosus (a disease in which the body's immune system attacks the body itself, causing joint pain, skin rashes, and fever), sore throat, sinus inflammation, feeling of sadness (depression), difficulty falling asleep (insomnia), vision disturbance, breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, constipation, abdominal distension (dyspepsia), general malaise (vomiting), stomach inflammation (gastritis), alteration in liver function (Japanese patients show a greater tendency to experience this adverse effect), redness of the skin (erythema), allergic reactions such as itching or rash, increased sweating, hives (urticaria), joint pain (arthralgia), and pain in the limbs, muscle cramps, pseudo-influenza syndrome, pain, low sodium levels, increased creatinine, liver enzymes, or creatine phosphokinase levels in the blood.

Very rare adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):

Acute respiratory distress (symptoms include severe breathing difficulties, fever, weakness, and confusion).

Adverse reactions reported for one of the individual components may be potential adverse reactions of Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide ratiogen, even if they have not been observed in clinical trials with this product.

Telmisartan

The following additional adverse effects have been described in patients taking telmisartan alone:

Uncommon adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

Upper respiratory tract infection (e.g., sore throat, sinus inflammation, common cold), urinary tract infections, red blood cell deficiency (anemia), high potassium levels, slow heart rate (bradycardia), cough, alteration in kidney function including acute kidney failure, weakness.

Rare adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)

Low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), increased white blood cell count (eosinophilia), severe allergic reactions (e.g., hypersensitivity, anaphylactic reactions, drug rash), low blood sugar levels (in diabetic patients), drowsiness, stomach upset, eczema (a skin disorder), arthrosis, tendon inflammation, decreased hemoglobin (a blood protein).

Very rare adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)

Progressive fibrosis of lung tissue (interstitial lung disease) **

Frequency not known (cannot be estimated from available data):

Intestinal angioedema: inflammation in the intestine presenting symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea has been reported after the use of similar products.

• This may have been a casual finding or be related to a currently unknown mechanism.

** Cases of progressive fibrosis of lung tissue have been reported during the intake of telmisartan. However, it is unknown whether telmisartan was the cause.

Hydrochlorothiazide

The following additional adverse effects have been described in patients taking hydrochlorothiazide alone:

Frequent adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

Nausea, low magnesium level in the blood.

Rare adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)

Decrease in platelet count in the blood, which increases the risk of bleeding and bruising (small purple-red marks on the skin or other tissues caused by bleeding), high calcium level in the blood, headache.

Very rare adverse effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)

Increased pH (alteration of acid-base balance) due to low chloride level in the blood.

Frequency not known (cannot be estimated from available data)

Inflammation of the salivary gland, skin and lip cancer (non-melanoma skin cancer), decrease in the number (or even absence) of blood cells, including low red and white blood cell count, severe allergic reactions (e.g., hypersensitivity, anaphylactic reactions), decreased or lost appetite, restlessness, dizziness, blurred or yellow vision, decreased vision, and eye pain (possible signs of fluid accumulation in the vascular layer of the eye (choroidal effusion) or acute angle-closure glaucoma), blood vessel inflammation (necrotizing vasculitis), pancreatitis, stomach upset, yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice), pseudo-lupus syndrome (a condition that mimics a disease called systemic lupus erythematosus in which the body's immune system attacks the body itself), skin disorders such as blood vessel inflammation of the skin, increased sensitivity to sunlight, skin rash, redness of the skin, blister formation on the lips, eyes, or mouth, skin peeling, fever (possible signs of erythema multiforme), weakness, kidney inflammation or altered function, glucose in the urine (glucosuria), fever, altered electrolyte balance, high cholesterol levels in the blood, decreased blood volume, increased glucose levels in the blood, difficulty controlling glucose levels in the blood/urine in patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, or fat in the blood.

Reporting Adverse Effects

If you experience any type of adverse effect, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, 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. Storage of Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide ratiogen

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiration date stated on the carton after "EXP". The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.

For Al/Al blisters

This medicine does not require special storage conditions.

For Al/PVC/PVDC blisters

Do not store above 30°C.

Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Deposit the packaging and medicines you no longer need at the SIGRE point of your usual pharmacy. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medicines you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.

6. Package Contents and Additional Information

Composition of Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide ratiogen

The active ingredients are telmisartan and hydrochlorothiazide. Each tablet contains 40 mg of telmisartan and 12.5 mg of hydrochlorothiazide.

The other ingredients are magnesium stearate, meglumine, microcrystalline cellulose, povidone, potassium hydroxide, sodium carboxymethyl starch (type A), and mannitol (E421).

Appearance of the Product and Package Contents

Telmisartan/Hydrochlorothiazide ratiogen 40 mg/12.5 mg tablets are oval and concave, 6.55 x 13.6 mm with TH engraved on one face.

Package sizes

Blister: 28 tablets

Marketing Authorization Holder and Manufacturer

Marketing Authorization Holder

Teva Pharma, S.L.U.

C/ Anabel Segura, 11. Edificio Albatros B, 1ª planta

28108 Alcobendas, Madrid

Spain

Manufacturer

Actavis Ltd.

BLB016

Bulebel Industrial Estate

Zejtun ZTN 3000 Malta

Date of the Last Revision of this Leaflet: March 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/