Candesartan is used to treat high blood pressure where it may be used alone or in combination with other drugs. It has less of an effect in black patients, as do ACE inhibitors. Candesartan also is approved for the treatment of patients with heart failure in whom it reduces the chances of death or hospitalization due to heart failure. Blockers appear to be approximately as effective as ACE inhibitors, and the effects of candesartan add to the effects of ACE inhibitors when they are used together.
No important drug interactions have been described with candesartan. Since ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers both can increase the concentrations of potassium in the blood, other medications that can increase the concentration of potassium in the blood, such as hydrodiuril (Dyazide), spironolactone (Aldactone), and potassium supplements, should be used cautiously with candesartan.
When used in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, ACE inhibitors can cause injury and even death to the fetus. Therefore, candesartan--which has an action that is similar to the ACE inhibitors--should not be used during pregnancy. If pregnancy occurs, candesartan should be stopped as soon as possible.