Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide

What Is Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide ?

Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets are combination of losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) and hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic.

What are the uses of this medicine?

This medicine is indicated for:

• Treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions.
• Reduction of the risk of stroke in patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. There is evidence that this benefit does not apply to Black patients.

How does this medicine work?

• Losartan Potassium Angiotensin II is a potent vasoconstrictor.
• Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic. Thiazides affect the renal tubular mechanisms of electrolyte reabsorption, directly increasing excretion of sodium and chloride in approximately equivalent amounts.

Who Should Not Use this medicine ?

Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets are cannot be used in:

• In patients who are hypersensitive to any component of this product
• In patients with anuria
• For coadministration with aliskiren in patients with diabetes

Is this medicine FDA approved?

• The combination was approved for medical use in the United States in 1995.
• It is available as a generic medication.
• In 2018, it was the 54th most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 13 million prescriptions.

How should this medicine be used?

Hypertension

• The usual starting dose of losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets is 50/12.5 (losartan 50 mg/hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg) once daily.
• The dosage can be increased after 3 weeks of therapy to a maximum of 100/25 (losartan 100 mg/hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg) once daily as needed to control blood pressure.

Hypertensive Patients with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

• In patients whose blood pressure is not adequately controlled on 50 mg losartan potassium, initiate treatment with losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets 50/12.5.
• If additional blood pressure reduction is needed, increase the dose to losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets 100/12.5, followed by losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets 100/25.

What are the dosage forms and brand names of this medicine?

This medicine is available in fallowing doasage forms:

• Losartan Potassium and Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets, USP 50 mg/12.5 mg
• Losartan Potassium and Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets, USP 100 mg/12.5 mg
• Losartan Potassium and Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets, USP 100 mg/25 mg

This medicine is available in fallowing brand names:

• HYZAAR®

What side effects can this medication cause?

Common possible side effects of this medicine include:

• dizziness
• upper respiratory infection
• cough
• back pain

What special precautions should I follow?

• Correct volume or salt depletion prior to administration of losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets.
• Monitor renal function and potassium in susceptible patients.
• Observe for clinical signs of fluid or electrolyte imbalance.
• In some cases acute onset of decreased visual acuity or ocular pain and typically occur within hours to weeks of drug initiation. Untreated acute angle-closure glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss. The primary treatment is to discontinue.
• Thiazide diuretics have been reported to cause activation of systemic lupus erythematosus.

What to do in case of emergency/overdose?

The signs and symptoms of overdosage include:

Losartan Potassium

• The most likely manifestation of overdosage would be hypotension and tachycardia; bradycardia could occur from parasympathetic (vagal) stimulation.
• If symptomatic hypotension should occur, supportive treatment should be instituted.
• Neither losartan nor its active metabolite can be removed by hemodialysis.

Hydrochlorothiazide

• The most common signs and symptoms observed are those caused by electrolyte depletion (hypokalemia, hypochloremia, hyponatremia) and dehydration resulting from excessive diuresis.
• If digitalis has also been administered, hypokalemia may accentuate cardiac arrhythmias.
• The degree to which hydrochlorothiazide is removed by hemodialysis has not been established.

Can this medicine be used in pregnancy?

• Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman.
• Thiazides cross the placental barrier and appear in cord blood.
• Adverse reactions include fetal or neonatal jaundice, thrombocytopenia .

Can this medicine be used in children?

• Safety and effectiveness of losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide tablets in pediatric patients have not been established.

What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?

• Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F).
• Protect from light.
• Keep container tightly closed.

• Dailymed label info on Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide
• FDA Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide

Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide Resources
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Losartan potassium and hydrochlorothiazide Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? WikiMD's DocFinder can help find general and specialist physicians.	Latest articles Most recent articles Ongoing trials.