Side Effects of Aliskiren

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 31.3 percent of adults over the age of 20 in the United States suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension and that over 44 billion doctor visits for hypertension occur in the U.S. each year. Doctors often prescribe medications to lower blood pressure levels, including the drug aliskiren or Tekturna. Despite its effectiveness, aliskiren is not for everyone---it presents several risks for side effects and complications in some patients.

Gastrointestinal Side Effects

• Aliskiren has the potential to impact your gastrointestinal system. The most common of these side effects is diarrhea, which occurs in approximately 2.3 percent of users. According to RxList.com, women and people over the age of 65 are the most likely to develop diarrhea while taking aliskiren. Other possible side effects include abdominal pain, heartburn, belching, indigestion and acid reflux.

Other Side Effects

• Aliskiren also has the potential to cause a number of other troublesome or annoying, but not dangerous, side effects. Approximately 1 percent of patients experience coughing or a skin rash. Some patients also report musculoskeletal side effects, such as back pain, and neurological symptoms, including headache, dizziness and fatigue. Some patients describe an increased incidence of upper respiratory infections and inflammation of the nasal passage or pharynx.

Drug Interactions

• Some medications produce unwanted side effects when used in conjunction with aliskiren. For example, using aliskiren with Furosemide or Cyclosporine often causes an increased incidence of side effects from both drugs. Because of this, doctors typically avoid prescribing the drugs in combination. While taking aliskiren, you should not take any medications that contain potassium. Doing so can cause an increase in potassium levels in your blood stream. Over time, this can lead to a condition called hyperkalemia, which can damage or interfere with the heart and cardiovascular system.

Risks

• In addition to minor side effects and the risk of interactions, aliskiren has the potential to cause serious medical complications. Sometimes the drug causes an allergic reaction known as angiodema that involves swelling under the skin accompanied by difficulty breathing. Such allergic reactions can be life threatening and require prompt medical attention. Taking aliskiren can lower levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit in your body, causing weakness and anemia. In rare instances, aliskiren leads to rhabdomyolysis, a condition where your muscles begin to break down. Left untreated, this can result in acute kidney failure and even permanent damage to your excretory system.

Considerations

• Aliskiren frequently causes birth defects or fetal death and should not be used during pregnancy. The drug is also not typically prescribed for children, due to its potential side effects. Additionally, doctors usually do not utilize the drug with patients who have impaired kidney function or who have a history of hyperkalemia. Because it can cause dizziness in some patients, you should not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how aiskiren affects you.