Benicar
Benicar is olmesartan, a tablet for high blood pressure taken once a day, sold in 10mg, 20mg and 40mg strengths in packs of 30 to 360.
All strengths and pack prices
| Strength | Pack | Price | Per tablet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10mg | 30 tablets | $30.00 | $1.00 |
| 10mg | 60 tablets | $41.40 | $0.69 |
| 10mg | 90 tablets | $60.30 | $0.67 |
| 20mg | 30 tablets | $42.00 | $1.40 |
| 20mg | 60 tablets | $67.80 | $1.13 |
| 20mg | 90 tablets | $90.90 | $1.01 |
| 20mg | 120 tablets | $111.60 | $0.93 |
| 20mg | 180 tablets | $151.20 | $0.84 |
| 20mg | 360 tablets | $288.00 | $0.80 |
| 40mg | 30 tablets | $71.70 | $2.39 |
| 40mg | 60 tablets | $119.40 | $1.99 |
| 40mg | 90 tablets | $178.20 | $1.98 |
| 40mg | 120 tablets | $236.40 | $1.97 |
| 40mg | 180 tablets | $352.80 | $1.96 |
- Category
- Heart & Blood Pressure
- Active ingredient
- Olmesartan
- Route
- Oral
- Form
- Tablet
- Strengths
- 10/20/40mg
You will receive a quality generic equivalent, depending on stock.
Shipped in a discreet, unmarked envelope.
Details
- Conditions
- Hypertension
- Therapeutic Class
- ARB
- Pharmacological Class
- Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker
- Minor Side Effects
- Dizziness
- Moderate Side Effects
- Headache, Fatigue, Back pain
- Dosage Forms
- Tablet
- Administration Route
- Oral
- Originator
- Daiichi Sankyo
- Onset Time
- 1–2 hours
- Duration
- 24 hours
- Storage Instructions
- Store at room temperature.
- Drug Interactions
- Lithium, Potassium supplements
What you will receive
Benicar is the originator brand name, made by Daiichi Sankyo. We use it to identify the medicine; the pack you receive is a generic equivalent, not the original Benicar.
- The same active ingredient (Olmesartan) at the same strength.
- The exact brand supplied depends on what is in stock when your order ships.
FAQ
Which Benicar strengths and pack sizes can I order?
Benicar contains olmesartan. It is generic olmesartan, not the original Benicar. Strengths are 10mg, 20mg and 40mg tablets. Packs range from 30 to 360 tablets depending on strength. Larger packs cost less per tablet.
Can a large Benicar order be split for Hong Kong delivery?
Generic olmesartan orders over 120 units may be split into several parcels. Each parcel ships in plain, unbranded packaging with nothing outside about the contents. Tracked courier takes 5 to 9 business days with online tracking.
Does Benicar have other names?
Benicar is a brand name of olmesartan, which is also sold as Olmetec and Olsar. Here, olmesartan can be bought online as generic Benicar. These are generics, not the original brand.
How quickly does Benicar lower blood pressure?
Within the first week readings usually start to fall, and they level out around week two. A reading that is still high at that point is when a higher strength comes in. Stopping the tablets lets pressure climb back, because they control it without removing its cause.
Can I take ibuprofen with Benicar?
An occasional dose is unlikely to cause trouble. Taking ibuprofen or naproxen every day works against the tablets, though: the pressure drop gets smaller and the kidneys carry extra strain. Salt substitutes and potassium tablets are the other pairing to keep apart, since potassium can climb too high.
Can I drink alcohol while taking Benicar?
Light drinking is not a worry for most people. Alcohol opens vessels the way the tablet does, so a heavy session can leave you lightheaded, especially on standing, and regular drinking works against the reason for taking it.
Does Benicar cause a cough?
Rarely. The dry, tickly cough ACE inhibitors such as ramipril are known for is uncommon with olmesartan, since it acts at a different point in the same system. Headache and an occasional spell of dizziness are what people mention instead.
Does Benicar cause diarrhoea?
Uncommonly. Olmesartan can set off a bowel reaction that produces watery stools for weeks or months, often alongside weight loss, and it may begin long after the tablets were started. Withdrawing the medicine is what settles it.
About Benicar
What Benicar is used for
Benicar holds olmesartan, one of the angiotensin receptor blockers, and it is used to bring raised blood pressure down in adults. Years of raised pressure wear down the arteries serving the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes, and olmesartan is there to take that load off. The tablets come as 10mg, 20mg and 40mg, in packs of 30 up to 360, so a long stretch of treatment can be bought in one order.
How the tablet lowers pressure
Angiotensin II is the hormone that tells blood vessels to tighten. Olmesartan sits on the receptor it would use, so the message goes unheard: vessels stay open, the heart meets less resistance and arterial pressure drops. Pulse rate usually stays as it was. Expect a lower reading inside a week and the full effect at about two weeks.
Taking it day to day
Benicar is a once-a-day tablet. Any hour will do as long as it stays the same, and meals make no difference to absorption. Many people begin on 10mg or 20mg, and if readings are still high after a couple of weeks the strength goes up. The first days can bring a light head on standing, so get up gradually. A forgotten tablet can be taken later that day; if the next one is close, the forgotten one is left out.
Unwanted effects to expect
Headache, dizziness and tiredness are the ones people mention most. Rarely, the face, tongue or throat puffs up and breathing becomes hard — that is an emergency. A separate problem, seen in a small number of people, is diarrhoea that persists for weeks or months, sometimes with weight loss, and it clears once olmesartan is stopped. These tablets are not used in pregnancy.
Painkillers, potassium and storage
Regular ibuprofen or naproxen works against olmesartan: it blunts the fall in pressure and, taken often, is tough on the kidneys. Potassium tablets and low-salt seasonings built on potassium chloride can push potassium to unsafe levels. Alcohol widens vessels too, so it deepens the drop and the dizziness that comes with it. Store the blister strips somewhere cool and dry.
Sources
- Olmesartan: MedlinePlus Drug Information — MedlinePlus / National Library of Medicine
- High blood pressure - NHS — NHS