Diovan and Depression

Side effects can occur during treatment with Diovan, and depression is not one of them. During extensive clinical studies, depression was not reported as either a common or rare side effect of Diovan. However, because depression is extremely common in society today, it can be helpful to know some of its symptoms. Some common symptoms of depression include feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness; difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions; and loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities that were once enjoyed.

Diovan Medication

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.

(Diovan and Depression Continued: Page 2)