Your doctor may prescribe losartan if you've tried taking similar blood pressure-lowering medicines such as ramipril and lisinopril in the past, but had to stop taking them because of side effects such as a dry, irritating cough. It is classified as an angiotensin II receptor agonist, and its use leads to blood vessels not constricting and lowered blood pressure. People using losartan should not drink alcohol or use other substances that can further lower their blood pressure because this can lead to significant issues with hypotension (low blood pressure) that can be potentially dangerous. Patients taking Losartan for high blood pressure also report fatigue as a side effect. Laguna Treatment Hospital is located in Orange County, CA. Increased blood sugar monitoring may be required. Losartan is available as a generic and as the brand name Cozaar. Still, this syndrome is not referred to as a formal withdrawal syndrome. Pins and needles sensations (paraesthesia). We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information -, Drug class: angiotensin receptor blockers. Visible Water Retention Commonly reported side effects of losartan include: asthenia, chest pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and... For the Consumer. Blood Pressure Drop Upon Standing 3. Losartan is primarily used to treat high blood pressure. Drugs.com https://www.drugs.com/ppa/losartan.html. Speak to your doctor about how drug interactions should be managed. The dosage of losartan may need adjusting depending on how you respond to it. Low Energy 9. If you are a woman capable of having children, you should ensure you use adequate contraception to avoid getting pregnant while on losartan, as it can be harmful to a developing baby. Losartan has generally received positive reviews regarding its effectiveness as a medication, and it is not considered to be a potential drug of abuse. Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use losartan only for the indication prescribed. People whose renal function is dependant on the activity of the renin-angiotensin system (which includes the hormone angiotensin II), such as people with renal artery stenosis, chronic kidney disease, severe congestive heart failure, or who are dehydrated are more at risk. It may take up to a week for significant blood pressure lowering or kidney effects are noted, with maximal effects occurring in 3 to 6 weeks. Answered by Dr. Edward Hirsch: Maybe: Losartan can cause cough. Your doctor may require you to see him or her regularly for monitoring of your blood pressure, kidney function, or electrolytes. "if my losartan is causing me to cough should i stop taking it?" Subscribe to Drugs.com newsletters for the latest medication news, new drug approvals, alerts and updates. Note that this list is not all-inclusive and includes only common medications that may interact with losartan. Druginformer Identified Side Effects: Fatigue, Somnolence, Arthralgia, Incontinence, Anxiety, Discomfort, Cough, Palpitations, Depression. Our editors and medical reviewers have over a decade of cumulative experience in medical content editing and have reviewed... © 2021 American Addiction Centers. May increase potassium levels in the body. Copyright 1996-2021 Drugs.com. Any side-effects are usually mild, and can include feeling dizzy or light-headed. Dizziness, nasal congestion, an infection in the upper airways (a cold), and back pain are the most commonly reported side effects. Loss Of Appetite 7. Potassium levels may require ongoing monitoring. Can be administered with or without food. What is losartan used for? Recall of Blood Pressure Medication Losartan Expands Over Cancer Concerns. Even though losartan is not a significant drug of abuse, any individual who has been taking the drug should only discontinue it under the supervision of a physician and according to their physician’s instructions. Action comes amid ongoing recall of other heart drugs, but patients cautioned to not stop taking their meds. These are some of the most common side effects: – Diarrhea: Some people may notice diarrhea immediately after stopping losartan. According to my new drug book, with a date of 2019, this drug, also known as Cozaar, has a half-life of 1–2 hours to 3 hours. losartan can harm your unborn baby causing injury and even death. Losartan is a prescription medication used for the treatment of conditions to do with blood pressure. Drugs that act directly on the... For Healthcare Professionals. Medically reviewed by Carmen Fookes, BPharm. Nonetheless, some of these issues include: Thus, when the drug is discontinued, it is typically done on a tapering schedule to wean the person off the medication and avoid these potential issues. Stop taking losartan if you become pregnant and call your doctor right away. 39 In rats with aortic coarctation, 2-week administration of losartan at a sub-antihypertensive dose of 3 mg/kg per day reduced ACE expression and ACE activity to the level of sham-operated animals, a mechanism that might also result in decreased bradykinin breakdown. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. The following list contains some of the key side effects that may occur while taking losartan. The dosage of losartan may need reducing in people with liver disease. Losartan is metabolized in the liver to an active metabolite (which has a similar action to losartan). Rare losartan side effects (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people) Inflammation of the liver (hepatitis). antipsychotic agents (may enhance the blood pressure-lowering effect), such as aripiprazole or clozapine, NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, diclofenac, or naproxen, other ARBs (such as candesartan or irbesartan) or ACE inhibitors (such as captopril or lisinopril), phosphodiesterase-5-inhibitors, such as sildenafil, sedatives, such as temazepam and zolpidem. However, according to professional sources such as the book Pharmacology of Antihypertensive Drugs, suddenly discontinuing the drug can lead to a rapid increase in blood pressure that can increase the risk for: Abruptly stopping antihypertensive medications may also result in some other effects that are often labeled as withdrawal issues when they occur with other medications, but technically, they are not labeled as withdrawal issues by professional sources when they occur with antihypertensive medications because they are not associated with drug-seeking behaviors and cravings for antihypertensive drugs. Losartan is a type of drug called a sartan that works by stopping a hormone called angiotensin II from activating a receptor in the body, which normally leads to a slight increase in blood pressure. Various medical organizations claimed that the discontinuation of antidepressants was not associated with significant withdrawal symptoms despite numerous complaints by patients that they experienced physical and psychological symptoms once these drugs were abruptly discontinued. 1. About losartan. May also be used to improve kidney outcomes in the general population (excluding African-American people) without kidney disease. The group-average trough/peak ratios upon the losartan treatment were 61.5 and 61.3% for the systolic and diastolic BP (against 21.2 and 26.9% for captopril), respectively. We remain open and committed to supporting your recovery journey. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. No rebound effect on withdrawal of losartan has been noted. How it works. These side effects are not serious and will only need to be reported to your doctor if they begin to interfere with your ability to func… Losartan may not have as good an effect in people of African-American descent. Do not take potassium supplements or other supplements that contain potassium with losartan unless your doctor has advised you to do so. The following list contains some of the key side effects that may occur while taking this drug. Losartan may be used for the treatment of high blood pressure or certain types of … Cozaar (losartan potassium, also known as losartan), is a commonly used oral medication for treating high blood pressure (hypertension) and complications of other diseases affected by high blood pressure. ... can i stop taking losartan abruptly. Dehydration or electrolyte imbalances should be corrected before initiation of losartan. Losartan may be used for the treatment of high blood pressure or certain types of kidney disease. Our editors and medical reviewers have over a decade of cumulative experience in medical content editing and have reviewed...Read More. Generally, should not be prescribed with potassium supplements or other medicines that retain potassium. Ensure adequate contraception is used when prescribing to women of child-bearing age. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. Losartan/hctz is an inexpensive drug used to treat high blood pressure.This medicine may also reduce the risk of stroke in certain patients. Revision date: March 19, 2020. Losartan. You can take your doses either before or after a meal. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. At its peak level, losartan inhibits 85% of the effects of angiotensin II, and 25 to 40% or this inhibition persists for 24 hours. Take losartan once each day. This claim by various medical associations, including APA, continued for quite some time until a formal syndrome was identified as a result of the discontinuation of these medications in a small percentage of individuals. Losartan belongs to a group of medicines known as angiotensin II receptor blockers (which may be shortened to ARBs). ... taking a beta blocker for hbp for about 6 months but have side effects dr told me to take losartan and stop beta safe to … Losartan suspension can be refrigerated for up to 4 weeks. Generic losartan/hctz is covered by most Medicare and insurance plans, but some pharmacy coupons or cash prices may be lower. Alcohol can increase your chance of side effects such as dizziness and lightheadedness. May be the preferred treatment in people with more than one type of heart condition. May be administered with other drugs that are also used to lower blood pressure (such as diuretics). This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. If you do inadvertently become pregnant, tell your doctor immediately. But, if it is nearly time for your next dose, just take the next dose at the right time. Losartan may cause fatigue 2. Some people who take Losartan may experience side effects. Renal function should be monitored periodically in these people. amlodipine, metoprolol, lisinopril, furosemide, hydrochlorothiazide, atenolol, enalapril, irbesartan, ramipril, benazepril. Rarely, may cause angioedema (this is a swelling of the deeper layers of the skin which can be life-threatening if it affects the throat). Available for Android and iOS devices. Diarrhea, tiredness, and low blood sugar have also reported in people with type 2 diabetes taking losartan. Call us for help. May be used to treat high blood pressure in adults and children over the age of six. To make sure losartan is safe for you, tell your doctor if you: Last updated on March 20, 2020. Let us help you get started with the rest of your life! Losartan is used both as a standalone treatment in certain cases, and as a combination therapy. United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), effects that are often labeled as withdrawal issues, Lightheadedness, dizziness, and confusion, Swelling, particularly in the legs or ankles. Losartan Side Effects: Losartan is generally well tolerated though some people do develop a cough. It is most often referred to as an antidepressant discontinuation syndrome, which can be avoided by use of a tapering schedule. Heavy media coverage of statins may also lead people to stop taking them, according to a study from the UK. Losartan also increases the excretion of certain salts from the kidney. Blocking angiotensin II widens (dilates) blood vessels which lowers blood pressure. This phenomenon is known as the “nocebo effect,” the opposite of the placebo effect. Combining losartan with any of these does not improve effectiveness, but it does increase the probability of side effects. It can lead to a spike in blood pressure, and this increase can lead to things like confusion, feeling dizzy, heart attack, stroke, and nausea. Stomach Cramps 10. May cause a significant drop in blood pressure in people who are dehydrated or salt depleted when losartan is initiated. Common Blood Pressure Meds Won't Up Risks for COVID Patients: Study. Abnormally Low Blood Pressure 2. If you plan to become pregnant, talk to your doctor about other treatment options before taking losartan. Losartan Side Effects. Losartan should never be administered with aliskiren. It is typically prescribed to treat hypertension in a variety of situations, and it is effective for these uses. The appearance of physical and even psychological issues with the sudden discontinuation of losartan and not labeling them as a formal type of withdrawal syndrome is reminiscent of the denial by various medical associations regarding the discontinuation of antidepressant medications, which are drugs that are also not significant drugs of abuse like antihypertensive medications. There is no category for antihypertensive abuse listed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the American Psychiatric Association (APA), the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), etc. Losartan may need to be withheld or discontinued in people who develop a significant decrease in kidney function. Losartan Side Effects In Summary. Losartan works by blocking the effect of angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow (constrict) increasing blood pressure. Throat Irritation 11. 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