Is Depression a Diovan Side Effect?

There are several possible side effects for people taking Diovan^® (valsartan). Depression, however, does not appear to be one of them. In clinical studies, depression was not reported as either a common or rare side effect of Diovan. Depression has been reported as a side effect with other angiotensin II receptor blockers, the class of medicines that Diovan belongs to.

 

However, the fact that depression was not observed during clinical studies with Diovan does not mean that the medicine is not causing this problem for you. Clinical trials are designed to factor out as many variables as possible in order to understand whether the medicine works and what its possible side effects are. Once the medicine is approved, a wider range of people begin taking the medicine and for longer periods of time. This can often lead to other side effects being reported. However, once a medicine is approved, it does not usually continue to be studied. This means that certain side effects that occur very rarely may never be reported. The bottom line is that it is difficult to say for sure that a particular complaint is not because of a medicine -- even if the complaint is not a reported side effect.