Valsartan is a type of medication used to control high blood pressure caused by conditions like hypertension. This drug prevents a certain protein called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) from constricting blood vessels and subsequently raising blood pressure, making valsartan part of a drug class called ACE inhibitors. This medication, like other ACE inhibitors, has several factors that can affect dosage. Usually, the valsartan dose for a patient is largely determined by the condition being treated. Other factors like liver conditions, kidney damage, or tolerance may also create changes in dosing.
Hypertension is one of the more common conditions treated by this drug. To treat this condition, a starting valsartan dose of 80 milligrams (mg) to 160 mg, in oral tablets, is typically given at first. Over the course of several weeks, under a doctor's supervision, this starting amount is usually increased to a larger maintenance dose, meant to fully control symptoms. Maintenance doses for hypertension can range from 80 mg to 320 mg, taken once daily.
A different valsartan dose schedule may be used to treat congestive heart failure. The dosing schedule for heart failure also uses initial and maintenance doses, however. At the outset, a patient will take 40 mg of valsartan, twice a day. Patients then work up to taking 80 mg to 160 mg of this medication twice a day. Doctors try to bring this dose up to the highest dosage they can handle without experiencing side effects in order to let this drug provide maximum benefits to the patient.
Damage to the liver and kidneys may interfere with the way that some patients break down medications and clear them from their bodies. Some medications can therefore exert their effects much longer in people with liver or kidney conditions. The valsartan dose for patients with medical conditions related to either of these organs may be lowered, if a doctor feels that normal doses would pose an unnecessary risk to the patient's health.
After weeks of taking this medication daily, tolerance may develop, meaning a patient will sometimes have to take greater amounts to receive the same benefits. Every four weeks, a doctor may opt to increase a patient's valsartan dose. Doses may be increased to a maximum of 320 mg in this manner. Alternately, a doctor may prescribe a diuretic, or a medication that assists with urination, to increase the effects of valsartan. Diuretics may improve the response to valsartan as much as a dosage increase, in some cases.