Diovan & Mental Side-Effects

If you have high blood pressure, chances are you have heard of or are taking Diovan, which is also known by its generic name, Valsartan. The drug treats high blood pressure, specifically by keeping the blood vessels from narrowing. Some mental side effects have been reported by Diovan users, though these side effects are not as common, nor are they as pronounced, as other side effects that are not mental in nature.

Common Side Effects

• To put these mental side effects in perspective, the three most common impacts Diovan users have reported are dizziness, elevated blood potassium levels and exhaustion, affecting 8 percent, 4.4 percent and 2 percent of total Diovan users respectively. Those side effects that change the user's mental status and well-being are considered less common by some sources and rare by others, affecting less than 1 percent of those who take the drug.

Confusion

• Nonetheless, if you are bothered by confusion, one of the most common of the mental side effects, you need to report it to your doctor. In fact, Diovan instructions include a warning, telling users not to operate machinery or participate in activities requiring mental alertness until they know how the drug will impact them. That's because, in some people, the drug induces a state of confusion, which can interfere with their mental clarity--which can be dangerous when operating a car or other equipment.

Vertigo

• Some users have reported vertigo, the feeling that you are about to fall, that you're spinning and your balance is thrown-off. Some people who use Diovan need to practice care, particularly when standing up from a seated or reclined position. That can induce this feeling of imbalance. This disorder is often helped by exercises, such as lying down on one side and waiting until the vertigo subsides. When it subsides, the patient will then swiftly change to the other side, and they'll keep doing this exercise until the sensation passes.

Anxiety

• It's OK to feel some unease and tension of the kind associated with anxiety from time to time, but Diovan has been known to bring in noticeable symptoms of anxiety in some users. Anxiety can escalate into a full-blown attack when you experience heart palpitations, extreme panic, an inablity to breathe, tremors and other symptoms like nausea.

Insomnia

• Like anxiety, we all have a tough time falling asleep or staying asleep from time to time. But chronic insomnia is much more prolonged, characterized by poor sleep for at least three nights a week over the course of more than a month. In less than 1 percent of cases, Diovan users have reported poor sleep quality.

Drug Interaction

• Diovan can have adverse mental effects on those with preexisting conditions who are taking some types of antipsychotics. Diovan can cause an illness known as neutropenia, which results in a decline in the number of white blood cells used to fight infections, when mixed with certain types of drugs. These drugs include Clozapine, which is used to treat schizophrenia, and carbamazepine, a medication used to manage mood disorders like manic depression.

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