#1

For me, telmisartan has been a wonderful drug. It lowered by mean BP from high normal to mid- to low normal. Ita effects have been achieved with a 40 mg. dose and I have experienced no side effects nor is my potassium elevated. At the same time, we have seen increasing evidence that it may serve as geroprotective. In these discussions, the standard 80 mg. dose is always mentioned.

Is there any clinical or anecdotal evidence on the dose/response parameters of telmisartan, first for BP and second for geroprotection? Since Iā€™m not currently taking rapamycin, I would like to build an optimum alternative stack showing promise to increase healthspan.

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#2

80 mg will not lower BP much more than 40 mg but it seems that the positive effects on insulin sensitivity and PPARalpha inhibition activation start at 80 mg. So going to 80 mg seems to be a good option. (Iā€™m on 80 mg.)

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#3

Hi, Antoine, are you experiencing any side effects from 80mg compared to 40mg? Also, do you know if anything else in your stack lowers BP, like maybe dapagliflozin?

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#4

Have you tested your potassium levels since taking 80 mg. @adssx ?

#5

I am taking 80mg on my cardio days and days after cardio, as telmisartan increasing adiponectin expression, stimulating AMPK (besides effect on PPAR gamma, mentioned above) - no side effects, except better skin appearance and better AMPK activation :slight_smile:

Still going with 40mg on the days with weightlifting and resting days afterwards.

Potassium levels in usual range (but good point - I am not taking any extra postassium on the cardio days)ā€¦

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#6

I have always had normal BP 105-115 over 65-75. Question: does anyone suggest/thinks taking Telmisartan in my case would somehow benefit me or no need if BP is normal?

#7

No side effects from telmisartan with the exception of a potent antidepressant (or rather anti apathy) effect that seems to be dose dependent and that is not reported in the literature (with the exception of one small candesartan RCT in PD). I think @Virilius felt the same thing.

Iā€™m also taking dapagliflozin but according to the literature it has no effect on BP in normotensive individuals and it had none on me.

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#8

I have: nothing has changed.

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#9

We know that the CVD risk increases progressively from 100 mmHg. But thereā€™s no evidence that pharmaceutical interventions to go from 115 mmHg to 100 would improve outcomes. And telmisartan doesnā€™t increase lifespan in animals, but it doesnā€™t shorten it either and it is as safe as placebo in RCT. So it depends on your threshold for evidence and risk assessment preference.

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#10

Thank you @adssx , thatā€™s all I needed. Excellent info.

#11

Iā€™m noticing something that might be expressed the way you have @adssx. Definitely a positive effect but subtle and, of course, not 100% certain it is the telmisartan.

#12

Thank you, adssx, you are the go to person when it comes to telmisartan for mešŸ˜, I have somewhat elevated BP, 120-135 75/85, and Iā€™ve been thinking what to do. Your research pushed me to telmi. Thank you! First 40, then 80, and if not enough, add amlodipine 2.5, then 5. And if still not enough, Iā€™ll have to think.

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#13

Itā€™s weird that 3 of us here noticed it but itā€™s not in the literature! But it might be the mechanism behind the lower rates of Alzheimerā€™s and Parkinsonā€™s with telmisartan vs other ARBs: depression is a risk factor. For me the effect is quite potent, so much that Iā€™m considering trying to 160 mg just for thatā€¦

@CronosTempi: thatā€™s the way to go!

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#14

Nice overview of PPARā€™s potential.

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#15

Iā€™ve been on 40mg Telmisartan (and gone up to 80mg here and there) for ten years now.

Interestingly, it is the first BP med that steroid using bodybuilders seem to implement in order to reduce the BP raising effects from the anabolics. Nebivolol is usually the second.

I might go back up to 80mg for the extra benefits (PPAR and apparently, anti depressive effects if what @adssx experienced is real)

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#16

Seems that telmisartan is a dual PPAR alpha/gamma activator, not an inhibitorā€“see below. Iā€™ve been on telmisartan 120 mg for a few months now. I also take amlodipine 2.5 mg. BP checked via Aktiia has been pretty well controlled with this at 115 systolic. No side effects, and recent labs have been fine. I feel pretty happy, maybe similar or slightly better compared to prior? Tough, could be placebo. But thanks To @adssx for all the background on telmisartan and amlodipine as goto for BP control.

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#17

Oopsie. Thanks for spotting this. Iā€™ll edit my previous message.

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#18

Do you take the full 80mg at once or split in two doses?

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#19

I take the single pill combination of telmisartan 80 mg + amlodipine 5 mg. So all at once. Telmisartan has a half life of 24 hours so thereā€™s no need to take 40 mg twice a day.

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#20

I took telmisartan (80mg) for about 3 months, then my blood pressure dropped drastically and I thought Iā€™d had a stroke. Soā€¦it almost killed me. Went to 40, which I took for many years. Happy to say Iā€™m not on any blood pressure medicine and I do attribute part of that at least to rapamycin. Iā€™m 70 and anytime I go to the doctor my blood pressure has been great for the last 3 or 4 years. Another thing I believe contributed was losing weight, even though I was not really big, I was over 200 and scaling back to about 175 using tirzepatide helped as well. I started both rapamycin and tirzepatide at about the same time.

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