Alternative medicine (1)
- Hypnosis: Another way to manage pain, kick bad habits
Complications (5)
- Brain aneurysm
- Obesity
- Enlarged heart
- see all in Complications
Lifestyle and home remedies (9)
- Stress and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
- Exercise: A drug-free approach to lowering high blood pressure
- 10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Prevention (1)
- Main attraction: 10 vegetable main dishes
Risk factors (2)
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Birth control pill FAQ: Benefits, risks and choices
Symptoms (1)
- Symptom Checker
Tests and diagnosis (2)
- Blood pressure chart: What your reading means
- Microalbumin test
Treatments and drugs (10)
- Alpha blockers
- Central-acting agents
- Beta blockers
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Angiotensin II receptor blockers
Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are used to treat conditions such as high blood pressure and heart failure. Find out more about this class of medication.
By Mayo Clinic staffAngiotensin II receptor blockers help relax your blood vessels, which lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood.
Angiotensin II is a natural substance in your body that affects your cardiovascular system in many ways, such as by narrowing your blood vessels. This narrowing can increase your blood pressure and force your heart to work harder. Angiotensin II also starts the release of a hormone that increases the amount of sodium and water in your body, which can lead to increased blood pressure. Angiotensin II can also thicken and stiffen the walls of your blood vessels and heart.
Angiotensin II receptor blockers block the action of angiotensin II. That allows blood vessels to widen (dilate).
Examples of angiotensin II receptor blockers
Several angiotensin II receptor blockers are available. Which one is best for you depends on your health and the condition being treated.
Examples of angiotensin II receptor blockers include:
- Candesartan (Atacand)
- Eprosartan (Teveten)
- Irbesartan (Avapro)
- Losartan (Cozaar)
- Olmesartan (Benicar)
- Telmisartan (Micardis)
- Valsartan (Diovan)
(1 of 2)
- Reeder GS. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and receptor blockers in acute myocardial infarction: Recommendations for use. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
- Colucci WS. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and receptor blockers in heart failure: Mechanisms of action. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed Nov. 13, 2008.
- Initial antihypertensive therapy: Drugdex Consults. Micromedex Healthcare Series. http://www.micromedex.com/. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Blood pressure-lowering drugs. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=159. Accessed Nov. 12, 2008.
- Sheps SG, ed. Mayo Clinic 5 Steps to Controlling High Blood Pressure. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research;2008:190.
