Losartan Potassium

Losartan Potassium is a angiotensin ii receptor blocker (arb) — antihypertensive medicine available in Bangladesh under many brand names. Below are its uses, side effects and precautions — and every brand with its current price.

Losartan Potassium is prescribed for:

• Hypertension — alone or combined with a diuretic, amlodipine or other agents.
• Diabetic kidney disease (nephropathy) — in type 2 diabetes with protein in the urine, to slow kidney damage.
• Heart failure — in selected patients, particularly when ACE inhibitors cause cough.
• Stroke risk reduction — in hypertensive patients with thickening of the heart muscle (left ventricular hypertrophy).

Your doctor will choose losartan considering your kidney function, potassium level and the other medicines you take.

Losartan Potassium is usually well tolerated. Possible side effects:

• Dizziness or light-headedness — especially after the first dose or in hot weather and dehydration; rise slowly.
• Raised potassium (hyperkalaemia) — may cause muscle weakness or irregular heartbeat; detected by blood tests.
• Tiredness, headache.
• Changes in kidney test values — usually small and monitored by your doctor.
• Low blood pressure — fainting is uncommon but possible with dehydration or diuretics.
• Rarely: rash, muscle cramps, or angioedema (sudden swelling of lips, tongue or face) — stop the drug and seek emergency care if this happens.

A dry cough is much less common than with ACE inhibitors.

Take these precautions with Losartan Potassium:

• Pregnancy must be excluded and prevented — ARBs can seriously harm the unborn baby; use reliable contraception and tell your doctor immediately if pregnancy occurs.
• Avoid potassium supplements, potassium-containing salt substitutes and unsupervised potassium-sparing diuretics.
• Tell your doctor about kidney disease, renal artery stenosis, liver disease or dehydration (vomiting, diarrhoea) before and during treatment.
• During acute illness with fluid loss, ask whether to pause the tablet temporarily.
• Attend scheduled kidney function and potassium tests.
• Limit salt, maintain weight, walk regularly and avoid tobacco — lifestyle remains essential.

Important interactions of Losartan Potassium:

• Potassium supplements, salt substitutes, spironolactone, amiloride — risk of dangerous potassium rise.
• ACE inhibitors or aliskiren together with an ARB — dual blockade is generally avoided (kidney injury, hyperkalaemia, low pressure).
• NSAID painkillers (ibuprofen, diclofenac etc.) — blunt the blood-pressure effect and, with dehydration, can strain the kidneys.
• Lithium — levels can rise to toxicity; monitoring required.
• Diuretics and other antihypertensives — additive pressure lowering; doses balanced by the doctor.
• Rifampicin and fluconazole — can alter losartan's conversion to its active form.

Losartan Potassium must not be used in:

• Pregnancy — especially the second and third trimesters; ARBs can cause kidney failure, low amniotic fluid and death of the unborn baby. Stop and contact your doctor immediately if pregnancy is confirmed.
• Known allergy to losartan or any component.
• Severe liver impairment.
• Combined use with aliskiren in diabetes or significant kidney impairment.
• Previous angioedema related to an ARB.

Pregnancy: Losartan Potassium is contraindicated in pregnancy. Taken in the second or third trimester, ARBs can damage the baby's kidneys, reduce amniotic fluid, impair skull development and even cause fetal death. Women of child-bearing age should use reliable contraception throughout treatment. If you plan pregnancy or miss a period, see your doctor at once — the medicine will be switched to a pregnancy-safe alternative such as methyldopa or labetalol; do not leave high blood pressure untreated.

Breastfeeding: It is not known how much losartan passes into breast milk, so it is not recommended while breastfeeding, particularly with newborn or premature babies. Your doctor will select a safer alternative for this period.

Store Losartan Potassium below 30°C in a dry place away from light and moisture, keeping the tablets in their original blister pack until use. Keep all medicines out of the reach and sight of children. Do not take it after the expiry date printed on the packaging; return expired or leftover tablets to a pharmacy for safe disposal rather than throwing them into household waste.