Losartan Information
Pronunciation
(loe SAR tan)
What is this drug used for?
• It is used to treat high blood pressure.
• It is used to protect kidney function in diabetic patients who have protein loss.
• It is used to lower the chance of stroke in people with high blood pressure and some certain heart problems.
• It may be given to you for other reasons. Talk with the doctor.
Frequently reported side effects of this drug
• Diarrhea
• Cold-like symptoms
• Back pain
• Loss of strength and energy
• Runny nose
Other side effects of this drug: Talk with your doctor right away if you have any of these signs of:
• Kidney problems like unable to pass urine, blood in urine, change in amount of urine passed, or weight gain.
• High potassium like abnormal heartbeat, confusion, dizziness, passing out, weak, shortness of breath, numbness or tingling feeling.
• Low blood sugar like dizziness, headache, fatigue, feeling weak, shaking, a fast heartbeat, confusion, hunger, or sweating.
• Severe dizziness
• Passing out
• Chest pain
• Swelling of arms or legs
• Signs of a significant reaction like wheezing; chest tightness; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; seizures; or swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Medication Safety Issues
Sound-alike/look-alike issues:
Cozaar may be confused with Colace, Coreg, Hyzaar, Zocor
Losartan may be confused with lorcaserin, valsartan
Storage and Stability
Store at 25°C (77°F); excursions are permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F). Protect from light
Adverse Reactions
Incidences occurred with hypertensive patients unless otherwise specified.
Cardiovascular: Atrial fibrillation, cerebrovascular accident, chest pain (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), edema, hypotension (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), orthostatic hypotension (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), palpitations, syncope
Central nervous system: Depression, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), headache, migraine, myasthenia (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), paresthesia, sleep disorder, vertigo
Dermatologic: Pruritus, skin photosensitivity, skin rash, urticaria
Endocrine & metabolic: Hyperkalemia (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), hypoglycemia (type 2 diabetic nephropathy)
Gastrointestinal: Abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), nausea, vomiting
Genitourinary: Impotence, urinary tract infection (type 2 diabetic nephropathy)
Hematologic & oncologic: Anemia (hypertension and type 2 diabetic nephropathy)
Neuromuscular & skeletal: Arthralgia, asthenia (type 2 diabetic nephropathy), back pain (hypertension and type 2 diabetic neuropathy), myalgia
Otic: Tinnitus
Respiratory: Cough (ARBs; Matchar 2008), dyspnea, nasal congestion, upper respiratory tract infection
Rare but important or life-threatening: Anaphylaxis, angioedema, dysgeusia, erythroderma, facial edema, glottis edema, Henoch-Schonlein purpura, hepatitis, hyponatremia, laryngeal edema, lip edema, malaise, pharyngeal edema, rhabdomyolysis, thrombocytopenia, tongue edema, vasculitis
