Tolvaptan

• Treat hyponatremia in people with heart failure and vasopressin hormonal imbalance
• Polycystic kidney disease

When should one not use Tolvaptan

• You are allergic to Tolvaptan
• You have conditions such as kidney problems, being unable to urinate, severe dehydration and being unable to tell whether or not you are thirsty, you must not take this medicine
• You have too high or too low blood sodium
• You have diabetes

Common side effects of this drug are:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Dry mouth
• Increased thirst
• Increased urination
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Dry skin
• Decreased appetite
• Acute liver failure
• Neurologic: Osmotic demyelination syndrome

Other General Warnings

• You suffer from liver disease
• You cannot drink enough water or you have to restrict your fluid intake
• Taking this medicine causes water loss because it increases your urine production. It is necessary to drink sufficient amount of water whenever you feel thirsty
• You have difficulties urinating or have an enlarged prostate
• You suffer from too high or too low blood sodium
• You have diabetes
• You have high levels of a chemical called uric acid in your blood (which may have caused attacks of gout)

How Does It Work?

Interactions with other medicines

• ACE inhibitors (such as Lisinopril), angiotensin receptor blocker (such as Losartan) as these medicines may increase the blood potassium levels
• Carbamazepine, Hydantoins (such as Phenytoin), Phenobarbital, Primidone, Rifamycins (such as Rifabutin, Rifampin, Rifapentine) or St. John's wort as these medications may decrease Tolvaptan's desirable effect

Interactions with food items

• Do not eat grapefruit or drink grapefruit juice while taking the medication of Tolvaptan
• This food may cause too much concentration of Tolvaptan in blood that results in side effects such as difficulty in swallowing, trouble to speaking, weakness to muscle, trouble for controlling body movements, confusion, mood changes, seizures and sometimes coma

Overdose

Missed a Dose