Prosan 25

Generic

Losartan Potassium

Indications

Hypertension: Losartan Potassium is used to treat high blood pressure. It can be taken alone or with other antihypertensive medications (eg. thiazide diuretics).

Losartan Potassium is approved to prevent the course of renal disease in hypertensive type-2 diabetics with proteinuria, defined as a urine albumin to creatinine ratio of more than 300 mg/g.

Pharmacology

Losartan Potassium is the first angiotensin II receptor blocker that is not a peptide. It binds to the AT1 receptor, which can be present in a variety of tissues (including vascular smooth muscle, the adrenal gland, the kidneys, and the heart), and inhibits a number of biological processes, including vasoconstriction and the release of the hormone aldosterone, which causes hypertension.

Dosage & Administration

The usual starting and maintenance dose is 50 mg once daily for most patients. If the antihypertensive effect using 50 mg once daily is inadequate, 25 mg twice daily is recommended prior to increasing the dose. For patients with intravascular volume-depletion (e.g., those treated with high-dose diuretics), a starting dose of 25 mg once daily should be considered. Losartan Potassium can be administered once or twice daily. The total daily dose ranges from 25 mg to 100 mg.

Interaction

The active metabolite of Losartan Potassium is reduced by rifampicin and fluconazole. The antihypertensive effects of Losartan Potassium and hydrochlorothiazide together may be potentiated. Increases in serum potassium can occur when potassium-sparing diuretics (e.g., spironolactone, triamterene, amiloride), potassium supplements, or potassium-containing salt replacements are used together. Indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine, may reduce losartan's antihypertensive impact. When an ACE inhibitor, angiotensin receptor antagonist, an anti-inflammatory medication, and a thiazide diuretic are used together, the risk of renal impairment increases.

Contraindications

Losartan Potassium is not recommended for pregnant women or those who are hypersensitive to any of the product's ingredients. In diabetic patients, Losartan Potassium should not be used with Aliskiren.

Side Effects

The side effects with the use of Losartan Potassium are mild and transient in nature. The most common side effects are dizziness, diarrhea, nasal congestion, cough, upper respiratory infection. Other side effects are fatigue, oedema, abdominal pain, chest pain, nausea, headache & pharyngitis.

Pregnancy & Lactation

D is the pregnancy category. If Losartan Potassium is given during the second or third trimesters of pregnancy, the risk to the fetus increases. Losartan Potassium is not known whether it is excreted in human milk, but because many drugs are, and because of the potential for adverse effects on the nursing infant, a decision should be made whether to stop nursing or stop taking the drug, taking into account the drug's importance to the mother.

Precautions & Warnings

Losartan Potassium use throughout the second and third trimesters of pregnancy lowers fetal renal function and increases fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Symptomatic hypotension can develop in people who have lost intravascular volume (e.g., those on high-dose diuretics). In cirrhotic patients, the plasma concentration of Losartan Potassium is much higher. Renal impairment has been linked to changes in renal function, including renal failure.

Therapeutic Class

Angiotensin-ll receptor blocker

Storage Conditions

Pharmaceutical Name

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd.