What is Losartan?
Introduction
Our body consists extended network of blood veins and vessels as long as miles. Our heart plays an imminent role in pumping blood into this system continuously. Just imagine how complex a system we carry today, and we didn’t even feel anything. That number of things are going in our body.
What if there is an error in the system? The consequences will be alarming. The same thing we will discuss today about a medicine used to clear out the difficulty faced by our heart and related system. Let’s pump it up.
Losartan is a prescription medication, so you’ll need to consult a doctor before purchasing. Some companies have healthcare professionals on their team who can assess you before your purchase.
Online pharmacies can sell counterfeit medications, so it’s essential to do your research before buying from any retailer.
In 2014, the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy found that 97 percent of Trusted Source of the internet pharmacies it examined were not compliant with federal laws, state laws, or industry standards.
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Losartan is a medicine used to control high blood pressure, kidney problems, type 2 diabetes, and a heart condition called Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (Enlarged heart). It usually works by stopping the hormone known as Angiotensin2 that causes the blood vessels to tighten. It opens the vessels to maintain the blood and oxygen supply, which helps to decrease hypertension. It comes under the drug class called an Angiotensin receptor blocker. Cozaar is the brand name of this medicine. (Simpson, K.L. and McClellan, K.J., 2000.
What is Angiotensin Receptor Blocker?
Angiotensin Receptor Blocker are the medication that inhibits/blocks the action of angiotensin2 (hormone causing high blood pressure).
How Should You Take Medicine?
If consumed as per the instruction, medicine is well benefitted to health.
- You should follow the instructions of the prescription or on the box
- Take Losartan with food, milk, and water.
- Take Losartan before sleep as the medicine can make you feel dizzy.
- You can take Losartan the day after the first dose of it.
- Maintain a time pattern of medicine
Possible Conditions That You May Face During Losartan And Other Medication
Interaction happens when you consume other medicine with Losartan. Mainly potassium-containing drugs are highly interactive and can cause fainting situations and dizziness. The medicines containing salts can interact and results in low blood pressure and renal misfunction.
Dosage of Losartan
- Adult: 50mg once a day ( can be increased to 100mg after monitoring)
- Paediatric: 0.7mg and also according to the blood pressure response.
- For Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (Enlarged Heart): 50mg daily
- Nephropathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patient: 50mg daily can be increased to 100mg ( also depends upon Blood pressure response).
Forms and Strength of Losartan
Medical information helps to make better health decisions. It is always good to know the actual forms and strengths of the medicine you consume. Remember to follow the prescription first.
Forms | Strengths |
Tablet | 25mg |
| 50mg |
| 100mg |
What Precautions Should I Take For Losartan?
Precautions are the measures that help get to know more about the medicine usage and its effectiveness on your body. The precautions are as follows:
- Avoid getting up quickly as this medicine causes dizziness. Slowly get up and sit for about 30 secs to maintain the body balance to avoid fainting.
- If you are pregnant, please get advice from your health care expert regarding this medicine.
- Blood tests and urine tests are conducted before and after the medicine course.
- Tell your expert if you take medicines like Benazepril, captopril, etc.
- Don’t neglect your medical history of heart diseases or kidney failures. Clear it out with advice from your physician. (Jamp-LOSARTAN, P., 2020.)
Why Is Losartan Not Preferred For Pregnancy?
FDA has black-boxed warnings for pregnancy. Losartan can cause severe damage to the fetus. It can also lead to death of fetus. Therefore, Losartan should be prohibited if you are pregnant or planning to be. Losartan can affect the fetus, turning into delivery complications, premature deliveries, etc.
Can Losartan Effect during Breastfeeding?
There are no proper findings of exertion of Losartan during lactation in the human body. Still, it is not preferred during breastfeeding, as found in rat milk during a study.
Prevention is better than cure.
What If You Missed A Dose Of Losartan?
Missing dose is a common concern among many folks. It usually happens due to situations in daily life. If you missed a dose of Losartan, please don’t take the missed dose for continuation. Instead, continue the next dose. The reason behind this is the disturbance in the body clock. Plus, it can result in an overdose, and the body will not be able to digest it properly.
Losartan Side Effects
- Backpain/knee pain
- Heartburn
- Dizziness
- Difficulty in breathing and swallowing
- Dry cough
- Diarrhoea
- Insomnia
- Hives, Skin rash
- Nasal Congestion
Losartan Addiction
There is no instance of addiction to Losartan, as it is not focused on sedative or psychotic effects hence it cannot be used as a recreational drug.
What If You Overdose Losartan?
Overdosing Losartan can let you feel dizzy, tired, confused, and lose your sense of control. It can also affect your blood pressure and kidney. It is better to call your medical expert or a nearby hospital.
Half-Life Of Losartan
The Half-Life of Losartan depends on how many doses you take. Let’s take 50 mg as an instance. It will take about 2 hours. Half-Life refers to the amount of time a drug takes to use 50 percent of its content.
Drug Interaction Of Losartan
Every medicine is unique in itself. It has specified chemical properties. When these chemical properties react with other medicines/food you consume, it leads to interaction. That can result in less effect of one medicine and other adverse effects. Let’s take a look at the interactions of Losartan.
Below are some medicine that interacts with Losartan
Alcohol | Lithium | Potassium Foods/Agents |
Aliskiren | Fluoxetine | Apalutamide |
Benazepril | NSAIDs | Abametapir |
Also, avoid grapefruit with losartan as they are highly interactive together.
Conclusion
We can conclude Losartan is an effective medicine for controlling blood pressure and kidney-related problems. It blocks the hormones which cause Hypertension (high blood pressure). Losartan also helps to treat kidney problems by supplying blood and oxygen. Pregnant and breastfeeders it is prohibited due to their harmful effect.
We can say that Losartan is medicine to control, not to cure.
