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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
Losartan potassium is a prescription drug that is commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Please continue reading to learn some of the uses, side effects, warnings, and risks of taking this medicine.What is losartan potassium used to treat? Losartan potassium is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB). It is available as a low-cost generic drug and under the brand name Cozaar. A combination of losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide is available under the brand name Hyzaar.Losartan is used by itself or with other blood pressure medicines to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). Other uses of losartan include to:Decrease stroke risk in people with high blood pressure and left ventricular hypertrophy (a condition in which the walls of the left heart are enlarged). Slow the progression of diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease) in individuals with high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.In combination with other heart medications, losartan can be used off-label for the treatment of heart failure. Due to how losartan works, this medication is not the first choice to treat high blood pressure in African American patients. Renin is an enzyme secreted by the kidneys. Losartan and other angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are the most effective if high renin levels cause high blood pressure, and Black patients with high blood pressure usually have low renin. Therefore, losartan or other ARBs are not used as monotherapy for Black patients but rather as the second medication added when one medication does not provide adequate blood pressure-lowering effects or if the patient also has heart failure. This concept also applies to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors). Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about your blood pressure medication regimen. How does losartan treat high blood pressure?Losartan potassium and other angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) block the action of a natural substance called angiotensin II in the body. Angiotensin II tightens the blood vessels, and this hormone also increases salt and water retention in the body; both of these factors contribute to a rise in blood pressure. Therefore, by blocking the action of angiotensin II, taking losartan helps relax the blood vessels, improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure. How to take losartan?DosageAdultsLosartan is available as 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg oral tablets. Losartan potassium tablet is dosed once daily. The usual starting dose for losartan in adults is 50 mg once a day and 25 mg if it
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