Supplements and Candesartan cilexetil.
Candesartan cilexetil, sold under the brand name Amias, is classified under "hypertension and heart failure" in the BNF.
Candesartan cilexetil (UK brand names Amias) sits at NHSBSA prescribing rank 26 in the 2024/25 PCA statistics. The BNF classifies it under "hypertension and heart failure". This means it sits outside the high-volume therapeutic classes (statins, PPIs, ACE inhibitors, SSRIs) where supplement-interaction surfaces are densely studied, and the published evidence base for specific supplement pairs is correspondingly thinner. Where interactions are documented in the Distil database, they are listed below with their clinical-reference citation; where pairs have not been explicitly assessed, the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes them into our next curation pass. Anyone combining Candesartan cilexetil with a regular supplement stack benefits from explicit GP or pharmacist awareness rather than assuming no interaction exists by default.
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
Additive hyperkalaemia (raised potassium)
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.
Additive blood-pressure lowering
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.
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.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
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.
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.
Reviewer-flagged: awaiting clinical-reviewer sign-off.
Reduced renal lithium clearance
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.
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.
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 methodologyWant this checked across everything you take?
This page checks the pairs you enter. The personalised Distil report goes further:
- the same graded, cited interaction check across your whole stack, not just the pairs you thought to type in
- where your current routine may be leaving you short of your goals
- the evidence-backed compounds worth adding, and the ones worth dropping
It's a paid report: £79, or £49 for the first 25 customers. The interactions check is one section of it, and you can read a real one in full before you buy.
See a real sample reportSomething 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.