Cilzec/Cilzec Plus Warnings

Fetal/Neonatal Morbidity and Mortality: Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause fetal and neonatal morbidity and death when administered to pregnant women. Several dozen cases have been reported in the world literature in patients who were taking angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. When pregnancy is detected, Cilzec/Cilzec Plus should be discontinued as soon as possible.
The use of drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy has been associated with fetal and neonatal injury, including hypotension, neonatal skull hypoplasia, anuria, reversible or irreversible renal failure and death. Oligohydramnios has also been reported, presumably resulting from decreased fetal renal function; oligohydramnios in this setting has been associated with fetal limb contractures, craniofacial deformation and hypoplastic lung development. Prematurity, intrauterine growth retardation and patent ductus arteriosus have also been reported, although it is not clear whether these occurrences were due to exposure to the drug.
There is no clinical experience with the use of telmisartan in pregnant women.
No teratogenic effects were observed when telmisartan was administered to pregnant rats at oral doses of up to 50 mg/kg/day and to pregnant rabbits at oral doses up to 45 mg/kg/day. In rabbits, embryolethality associated with maternal toxicity (reduced body weight gain and food consumption) was observed at 45 mg/kg/day [about 12 times the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) of 80 mg on a mg/m² basis]. In rats, maternally toxic (reduction in body weight gain and food consumption) telmisartan doses of 15 mg/kg/day (about 1.9 times the MRHD on a mg/m² basis), administered during late gestation and lactation, were observed to produce adverse effects. In neonates, including reduced viability, low birth weight, delayed maturation and decreased weight gain. Telmisartan has been shown to be present in rat fetuses during late gestation and in rat milk. The no observed effect doses for developmental toxicity in rats and rabbits, 5 and 15 mg/kg/day, respectively, are about 0.64 and 3.7 times, on a mg/m² basis, the maximum recommended human dose of Telmisartan (80 mg/day).
These adverse effects do not appear to have resulted from intrauterine drug exposure that has been limited to the 1st trimester. Mothers whose embryos and fetuses are exposed to an angiotensin II receptor antagonist only during the 1st trimester should be informed. Nonetheless, when patients become pregnant, the physician should inform the patient to discontinue the use of Cilzec Plus as soon as possible.
If oligohydramnios is observed, Cilzec Plus should be discontinued unless they are considered life-saving for the mother. Contraction stress testing (CST), a non-stress test (NST), or biophysical profiling (BPP) may be appropriate, depending  upon the week of pregnancy. Patients and physicians should be aware, however, that  oligohydramnios may not appear until after the fetus has sustained irreversible injury.
Infants with histories of in utero exposure to an angiotensin II receptor antagonist should be closely observed for hypotension, oliguria and hyperkalemia. If oliguria occurs, attention should be directed toward support of blood pressure and renal perfusion. Exchange transfusion or dialysis may be required as a means of reversing hypotension and/or substituting for disordered renal function.
Thiazides cross the placental barrier and appear in cord blood. There is a risk of fetal or neonatal jaundice, thrombocytopenia and possibly other adverse reactions that have occurred in adults.
Hypotension in Volume-Depleted Patients: Initiation of antihypertensive therapy in patients whose renin-angiotensin system are activated eg, patients who are intravascular volume- or sodium-depleted eg, in patients treated vigorously with diuretics, should only be approached cautiously. These conditions should be corrected prior to administration of Cilzec/Cilzec Plus. Treatment should be started under close medical supervision. If hypotension occurs, the patients should be placed in the supine position and, if necessary, given an intravenous infusion of normal saline. A transient hypotensive response is not a contraindication to further treatment which usually can be continued without difficulty once the blood pressure has stabilized.
Hydrochlorothiazide: Hepatic Impairment: Thiazide diuretics should be used with caution in patients with impaired hepatic function or progressive liver disease, since minor alterations of fluid and electrolyte balance may precipitate hepatic coma.
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Hypersensitivity reactions to hydrochlorothiazide may occur in patients with or without a history of allergy or bronchial asthma, but are more likely in patients with such a history.
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Thiazide diuretics have been reported to cause exacerbation or activation of systemic lupus erythematosus.