Nursing Teaching on Side Effects of Losartan Use

Nurse educated the patient and caregiver on the side effects of using Losartan as follows:

1. High potassium levels: Losartan is always paired with potassium, to help better absorption of the medication in the intestines. All losartan preparations have small amount of potassium added to them. This can lead to elevated potassium levels in the body. As potassium is a salt that has to be regulated in a very narrow range, this elevated potassium can be very dangerous at times. Elevated potassium levels can sometimes result in irregular heart rhythms, leading to episodes of dizziness, abnormally fast heart rate, palpitations, shortness of breath with poor endurance, and chest pain.
2. Hypotension: Losartan use can lead to inhibition of narrowing or constriction of blood vessels, which results in reduced blood pressure. Patients can experience dizziness and lightheadedness, secondary to the reduced blood pressure.
3. Tachycardia: Losartan use can lead to increased heart rate or tachycardia, as a compensatory response to the reduced blood pressure that it causes.
4. Compromised renal function: Use of losartan carries a small chance of damage to the skeletal muscle. This can result in breakdown of skeletal muscle tissue. Protein molecules released into the blood from this skeletal muscle injury enter the kidney to be eliminated in urine. But, as these molecules are large, they will not be filtered through the kidneys into the urine and get blocked, thus damaging the kidneys and leading to kidney failure. Notify your doctor, if you experience any unexplained muscle pain, malaise, and weakness, or symptoms of compromised renal function, such as, sudden reduction in the urine volume, fluid retention, edema, abnormal weight gain, and concentrated dark urine.