Olmetec Dosage/Direction for Use

Adults: Dosage must be individualized. The usual recommended starting dose of olmesartan medoxomil is 20 mg once daily when used as monotherapy in patients who are not volume-contracted. If additional blood pressure reduction is required, olmesartan medoxomil dose may be increased to a maximum of 40 mg daily or hydrochlorothiazide therapy may be added.
The antihypertensive effect of olmesartan medoxomil is substantially present within 2 weeks of initiating therapy and is maximal by about 8 weeks after initiating therapy. This should be borne in mind when considering changing the dose regimen for any patient.
Elderly (65 years or over): No adjustment of dosage is generally required in the elderly people (see as follows for dose recommendations in patients with renal impairment). If up-titration to the maximum dose of 40 mg daily is required, blood pressure should be closely monitored.
Renal impairment: Dosage of olmesartan medoxomil should be individualized in patients with renal impairment.
The maximum dose in patients with mild to moderate renal impairment (creatinine clearance of 20 - 60 mL/min) is 20 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily, owing to limited experience of higher dosages in this patient group. The use of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with severe renal impairment (creatinine clearance <20 mL/min) is not recommended, since there is only limited experience in this patient group (see Precautions and Pharmacology: Pharmacokinetics under Actions).
There is no experience in the use of olmesartan medoxomil in patients requiring dialysis.
Hepatic impairment: No adjustment of dosage recommendations is required for patients with mild hepatic impairment. In patients with moderate hepatic impairment, an initial dose of 10 mg olmesartan medoxomil once daily is recommended and the maximum dose should not exceed 20 mg once daily. Close monitoring of blood pressure and renal function is advised in hepatically-impaired patients who are already receiving diuretics and/or other antihypertensive agents. There is no experience of olmesartan medoxomil in patients with severe hepatic impairment, therefore use is not recommended in this patient group (see Precautions and Pharmacology: Pharmacokinetics under Actions). Olmesartan medoxomil should not be used in patients with biliary obstruction (see Contraindications).
Paediatric population: The safety and efficacy of olmesartan medoxomil in children and adolescents below 18 years has not been established.
Currently available data are described in Adverse Reactions, Pharmacology: Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics under Actions but no recommendations on a posology can be made.
Olmesartan medoxomil should not be used in children below 1 years of age because of safety concerns and lack of data in this age group.
Method of administration: In order to assist compliance, it is recommended that olmesartan medoxomil tablets be taken at about the same time each day, with or without food, for example at breakfast time. The tablet should be swallowed with a sufficient amount of fluid (e.g. one glass of water). The tablet should not be chewed.