Supplements and Candesartan cilexetil.
Candesartan cilexetil, sold under the brand names Amias, Atacand, is classified under "hypertension and heart failure" in the BNF.
Candesartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) prescribed for hypertension and heart failure. Like losartan, it blocks the angiotensin II type 1 receptor directly, without the bradykinin cough that comes with ACE inhibitors. Unlike losartan, candesartan does not require CYP2C9 activation. It arrives at the receptor as the active drug, since the cilexetil ester hydrolyses to candesartan in the gut wall. The CYP-mediated interactions that touch losartan are quieter here. Renal and electrolyte monitoring is the same as for ACE inhibitors. Annual U&E checks, with attention to hyperkalaemia risk especially in CKD. Additive BP lowering matters. Beetroot extract, hibiscus and garlic can stack on top. CoQ10 lowers systolic pressure by roughly 3 to 5 mmHg in people with cardiometabolic conditions (Zhao 2022), though a Cochrane review found no effect in primary hypertension and no study has tested it alongside a blood-pressure drug, so watch readings rather than treat it as a known interaction. Real liquorice at high intake opposes candesartan by retaining sodium, an effect driven by glycyrrhizin rather than by aldosterone, which actually reads low. Deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) liquorice has the glycyrrhizin removed and does not carry it. Liquorice is the one supplement worth specifically watching for here.
Below are the 6 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Candesartan cilexetil in the Distil database: 1 red and 5 amber. The pairs cluster around 3 mechanisms: Additive hyperkalaemia (raised potassium), Additive blood-pressure lowering, and Reduced renal lithium clearance. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not on this list is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by supplement, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued supplement into our next curation pass.
Documented interactions
Last reviewed 14 June 2026. Each interaction below lists the evidence its assessment drew on: some rest on studies of the exact pair, others on mechanism evidence, where a citation may support one part of the reasoning rather than the exact combination. The evidence line on each entry says which.
Additive hyperkalaemia (raised potassium)
Red Does Potassium interact with ?
Candesartan raises blood potassium by reducing how much the kidneys pass out. A potassium supplement adds more potassium on top. Together they can push potassium high enough to affect the heart rhythm, which can be dangerous. Do not take a potassium supplement alongside candesartan unless your GP has specifically advised it and is checking your blood potassium.
Evidence: Supported by human study data.
Additive blood-pressure lowering
Amber Does Beetroot Extract interact with ?
Beetroot lowers blood pressure through the nitric oxide pathway. Candesartan lowers it by blocking the angiotensin II receptor. Used together, the combined blood-pressure effect tends to be larger than either alone. Watch for dizziness on standing, especially in the first two weeks. If symptoms appear, tell your GP.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Amber Does Hibiscus Extract interact with ?
Hibiscus tends to lower blood pressure on its own, and candesartan lowers it by blocking the angiotensin receptor. Taken together the blood-pressure effects may stack, so watch for dizziness on standing, especially in the first couple of weeks. If symptoms appear, tell your GP.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Amber Does Spirulina interact with ?
Spirulina has a mild blood-pressure-lowering effect of its own, shown in human trials. Candesartan lowers blood pressure by blocking the angiotensin II receptor. Used together, the combined effect tends to be a little larger than the medicine alone. Watch for dizziness on standing in the first couple of weeks, and tell your GP if it happens so your dose can be reviewed.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Amber Does Taurine interact with ?
Taurine tends to lower blood pressure on its own, and candesartan lowers it by blocking the angiotensin receptor. Taken together the blood-pressure effects may stack, so watch for dizziness on standing, especially in the first couple of weeks. The added effect tends to be modest. If symptoms appear, tell your GP.
Evidence: Limited human data, based on case reports and a known mechanism.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Reduced renal lithium clearance
Amber Does Lithium Orotate interact with ?
Angiotensin receptor blocker blood pressure tablets such as candesartan can reduce how well the kidneys clear lithium, which raises the lithium level in the blood. With prescription lithium this has caused toxicity in reported cases. At the small amount of lithium in a typical lithium orotate supplement (around 5 mg) the effect is expected to be very small; it matters more for higher-strength products (around 20 mg) and for anyone whose kidney function is reduced. If you take one of these blood pressure tablets, check with your pharmacist or GP before using a lithium supplement.
Evidence: Based on an established mechanism, with no direct study of this exact combination yet.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope (food-supplement interactions only; for drug-drug interactions, the BNF is authoritative). Use the checker below to surface any supplement, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.
No affiliates. No commission. We earn nothing on what you buy.
How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.
Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.
Read the full methodologyA full supplement review, built around you, not a generic stack.
The free checker answers one interaction question at a time. A Distil report reviews the bigger picture: your goals, diet, medications, current supplements and any blood results you provide, then shows what appears worth keeping, changing, adding or leaving out.
- what your diet already covers, so you are not adding a capsule for something food is already handling
- which evidence-graded compounds are worth considering for your goals, and which were considered but left out
- what to keep, change or stop from what you already take, plus the order to introduce anything new
- how your medications and complete supplement stack fit together, with daily timing and a clear point for reassessment
The interaction check is one section of the full report. You also get the reasoning behind each recommendation and the evidence references used.
£49 introductory price for early customers. Standard price £79.
Something missing?
If a supplement or medication you take isn't in our autocomplete, tell us. We go through what people flag every week and add what's missing.