Irbesartan

Medication angiotensin receptor blocker heart & blood pressure

Aka: Aprovel, Avapro

Brands seen in Singapore: Irbis, Irbetas, Irprestan, Irstran, Converium

Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.

How to use

What it’s for

SG label: essential hypertension; renal disease in type 2

When to take

HealthHub: long-term use · not stopped without checking

Take with

SG label: once daily, with or without food

Pros & cons

Pros

SG label: 150 mg daily beats 75 mg over 24 hours
SG label: no dose change needed in renal impairment
SG register: 75, 150 and 300 mg tablets sold in SG

Cons

HealthHub: dizziness on getting up is a common effect
SG label: contraindicated in 2nd and 3rd trimester
HealthHub: potassium and kidney may need monitoring

Sources

HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg dataset d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084), Forensicclassification column; all 5,511 rows cached at /tmp/hsa_all.json and filtered locally (not re-fetched), 27 Aug 2026 · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“IRBIS 300/150/75 SIN16369P–SIN16371P; IRBETAS 300/150 SIN16192P/SIN16193P; Irprestan 150/300 SIN14163P/SIN14164P; IRSTRAN 150/300 SIN16373P/SIN16372P; CONVERIUM 150/300 SIN15236P/SIN15235P; APROVEL 150/300 SIN10861P/SIN10862P — ATC C09CA04, all 20 irbesartan rows Prescription Only”
MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — APROVEL FILM-COATED TABLET 150 MG [SIN10861P], product information · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“IRBESARTAN - 150 MG … Registration Number SIN10861P … Licence Holder SANOFI-AVENTIS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. … Forensic Classification PRESCRIPTION ONLY MEDICINES … ATC code C09CA04 … Prescription-only Medicines with Exemptions for Supply without Prescription NA”
MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — APROVEL [SIN10861P], Therapeutic indications · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Treatment of essential hypertension. Treatment of renal disease in patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus as part of an antihypertensive drug regimen”
MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — APROVEL [SIN10861P], Posology and method of administration · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“The usual recommended initial and maintenance dose is 150 mg once daily, with or without food … In patients insufficiently controlled with 150 mg once daily, the dose … can be increased to 300 mg”
MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — APROVEL [SIN10861P], Contraindications · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Second and third trimester of pregnancy … The concomitant use of Aprovel with aliskiren-containing products is contraindicated in patients with diabetes mellitus or renal impairment (glomerular filtration rate (GFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2)”
HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Irbesartan, medication information leaflet (reviewed 08 May 2026) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Irbesartan lowers blood pressure by blocking the effects of a substance called Angiotensin II … Do not stop taking your medicine without checking with your healthcare provider … This medicine may be taken with or without food”
HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Irbesartan, common and rare side effects · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“The side effects include dizziness and lightheadedness on getting up … Very rarely, this medicine can injure or damage the liver … Stop this medicine and see a doctor immediately if you notice dark coloured urine or light coloured stools”
HealthHub (MOH Singapore) — Irbesartan, precautions · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. Once you find out you are pregnant, stop the medication as soon as possible … Your doctor may need to monitor your potassium levels and kidney function”
NHS medicines A–Z — Irbesartan: medicine for high blood pressure (reviewed 5 June 2026) · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“Irbesartan - Common brands: Aprovel … It's only available with a prescription … Irbesartan is not normally used during breastfeeding … you've had a condition called angioedema in the past”
NHS medicines A–Z — Irbesartan, taking it with other medicines, food and drink · read 2026-08-27
what it says
“some other medicines for high blood pressure, such as aliskiren or ACE inhibitors like lisinopril … diuretics, such as spironolactone … supplements containing potassium … lithium … NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen”

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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

In Singapore

Classification
HSA register

prescription-only

This is the Singapore classification, taken from the HSA register. Dosing stays with the label and your pharmacist or doctor — this page never tells you how much to take.

What the label says

The SG aprovel insert (sin10861p) prints one ceiling for both registered uses: "the usual recommended initial and maintenance dose is 150 mg once daily, with or without food … in patients insufficiently controlled with 150 mg once daily, the dose of aprovel can be increased to 300 mg, or other anti-hypertensive agents can be added", and for kidney disease in type 2 diabetes "therapy should be initiated at 150 mg irbesartan once daily and titrated up to 300 mg once daily as the preferred maintenance dose". 300 mg once daily is the highest figure on the SG label, and 300 mg is the largest tablet registered here. the SAMe insert notes a lower start — "initiation of therapy with 75 mg could be considered, particularly in haemodialysed patients and in the elderly over 75 years". as directed on the label or by your doctor.

Who should check first

Talk to a doctor or pharmacist before taking this if any of these apply to you.

Pregnant or planning pregnancy: HealthHub: stop as soon as pregnancy is found; 2nd and 3rd trimesters are an SG label contraindication
Breastfeeding: NHS: irbesartan is not normally used during breastfeeding
Aliskiren with diabetes or gfr under 60: an SG label contraindication
Past angioedema: NHS lists it among reasons irbesartan may not be suitable

Documented interactions

With medicines and supplements

Aliskiren or ace inhibitors such as lisinopril: NHS lists other blood pressure medicines including aliskiren and ace inhibitors; the SG label contraindicates aliskiren in diabetes or gfr < 60^10,5
Potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone: NHS lists diuretics among medicines that may not mix well with irbesartan¹⁰
Potassium supplements and salt substitutes: NHS: tell your doctor if you regularly eat salt alternatives containing potassium¹⁰
Lithium: NHS lists lithium among medicines that may not mix well with irbesartan¹⁰
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen: NHS lists NSAIDs among medicines that may not mix well with irbesartan¹⁰

Only combinations someone has written down appear here. A pair that is missing is unrecorded, not cleared.