Hydrochlorothiazide-losartan Oral Tablet

• This drug has a black box warning. This is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A black box warning alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.
• You should not take this drug while pregnant. This drug can harm or end your pregnancy. If you become pregnant, call your doctor and stop taking this drug right away.

Other warnings

• Low blood pressure (hypotension): Using this drug may cause low blood pressure. You’re more likely to have low blood pressure with this drug if you also take diuretics, are on a low-salt diet, have heart problems, or get sick with vomiting or diarrhea. If you have any of these medical problems, your doctor may monitor you closely when you receive your first dose.
• Sensitivity reaction: If you have a history of allergies or asthma, you may get a sensitivity reaction when you first start taking this drug. Symptoms include skin rash, hives, shortness of breath or wheezing, itching, and fever.
• Eye problems: This drug may cause eye conditions called myopias and glaucoma. If you have trouble seeing or pain in your eyes, call your doctor and stop taking the drug right away.

Losartan/hydrochlorothiazide oral tablet does not cause drowsiness, but it can cause other side effects.

More common side effects

The more common side effects that occur with losartan/hydrochlorothiazide include:

• upper respiratory infection, such as the common cold
• dizziness
• cough
• back pain

If these effects are mild, they may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. If they’re more severe or don’t go away, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening or if you think you’re having a medical emergency. Serious side effects and their symptoms can include the following:

• serious allergic reaction. Symptoms include:
• swelling of your face, lips, throat, or tongue
• low blood pressure (hypotension). Symptoms include:
• feeling like you’re going to faint
• dizziness
• lupus. Symptoms include:
• joint pain
• stiffness
• weight loss
• fatigue
• skin rash
• kidney problems. Symptoms include:
• swelling of your feet, ankles, or hands
• weight gain
• eye problems. Symptoms include:
• trouble seeing
• eye pain
• High or low potassium blood levels. Symptoms can include:
• heart rhythm problems
• muscle weakness
• slow heart rate

Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we can not guarantee that this information includes all possible side effects. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always discuss possible side effects with a healthcare provider who knows your medical history.

Losartan/hydrochlorothiazide oral tablet can interact with other medications, vitamins, or herbs you may be taking. An interaction is when a substance changes the way a drug works. This can be harmful or prevent the drug from working well.

To help avoid interactions, your doctor should manage all of your medications carefully. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, vitamins, or herbs you’re taking. To find out how this drug might interact with something else you’re taking, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Examples of drugs that can cause interactions with losartan/hydrochlorothiazide are listed below.

Potassium-sparing diuretics and supplements, and salt substitutes

Taking these drugs and supplements with losartan/hydrochlorothiazide may increase the amount of potassium in your blood to unsafe levels. You shouldn’t take losartan/hydrochlorothiazide with these drugs. Examples of these drugs include:

• potassium-sparing diuretics
• potassium supplements
• salt substitutes

Bipolar disorder drug

Taking lithium with losartan/hydrochlorothiazide can increase the levels of lithium in your blood. This can increase your risk of dangerous effects. Your doctor may reduce your dose of your bipolar disorder drug.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

NSAIDs may reduce the effectiveness of losartan/hydrochlorothiazide. This means that it won’t work as well. Taking these drugs together may also damage your kidneys. You shouldn’t take NSAIDs with losartan/hydrochlorothiazide. Examples of NSAIDs include:

• ibuprofen
• naproxen

Blood pressure drugs

Taking other drugs that work in the same way as losartan/hydrochlorothiazide may increase your chance of low blood pressure, high potassium levels in your blood, and kidney damage.

Examples of these drugs include:

• angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), such as:
• irbesartan
• candesartan
• valsartan
• angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, such as:
• lisinopril
• fosinopril
• enalapril
• aliskiren

Diabetes drugs

Your doctor may adjust the dose of your diabetes medications while you’re taking losartan/hydrochlorothiazide. Examples of these drugs include:

• insulin
• glipizide
• glyburide
• pioglitazone
• rosiglitazone
• acarbose
• miglitol
• sitagliptin
• saxagliptin
• linagliptin
• exenatide
• albiglutide
• dulaglutide
• canagliflozin
• dapagliflozin

Cholesterol-lowering drugs

These drugs can decrease the amount of losartan/hydrochlorothiazide in your body. This means that it may not work as well. Your doctor may adjust the dose of losartan/hydrochlorothiazide if you’re taking this combination. Examples of these drugs include:

• cholestyramine
• colestipol

Disclaimer: Our goal is to provide you with the most relevant and current information. However, because drugs interact differently in each person, we can not guarantee that this information includes all possible interactions. This information is not a substitute for medical advice. Always speak with your healthcare provider about possible interactions with all prescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking.

This drug comes with several warnings.

Allergy warning

This drug can cause a severe allergic reaction. Symptoms include:

• trouble breathing
• swelling of your throat or tongue
• hives

If you develop these symptoms, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Don’t take this drug again if you’ve ever had an allergic reaction to it before. Taking it a second time after an allergic reaction could be fatal.

Alcohol interaction warning

The use of drinks that contain alcohol can increase your risk of dizziness or lightheadedness from losartan/hydrochlorothiazide. If you drink alcohol, talk to your doctor.

Warnings for people with certain health conditions

For people with a sulfonamide allergy: If you’re allergic to sulfonamides, don’t take this drug. Tell your doctor about all of your allergies.

For people with kidney disease: If you have kidney disease, you have a higher risk of serious side effects. If you have kidney disease and no longer make any urine, you shouldn’t take this drug. Your doctor will monitor your kidney function and adjust your medication as needed.

For people with liver disease: You shouldn’t take this drug if you have liver disease. It can cause changes in your fluid and electrolytes. This may lead to a coma if you have liver disease.

For people with lupus: This drug can cause new or worsening symptoms of lupus. Call your doctor right way if this occurs.

For people with diabetes: Your doctor may adjust the doses of your diabetes drugs while you’re taking this medicine. They’ll tell you how often to test your blood sugar levels.

For people with glaucoma: This drug may make your glaucoma worse.

Warnings for other groups

For pregnant women: This drug is a pregnancy category D drug. That means two things:

1. Research in humans has shown adverse effects to the fetus when the mother takes the drug.
2. This drug should only be used during pregnancy in serious cases where it's needed to treat a dangerous condition in the mother.

Talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Ask your doctor to tell you about the specific harm that may be done to the fetus. This drug should only be used if the potential risk to the fetus is acceptable given the drug’s potential benefit.

Call your doctor right away if you become pregnant while taking this drug.

For women who are breastfeeding: It isn’t known if this drug passes into breast milk. If it does, it may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed.

Talk to your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication.

For seniors: Older adults may process drugs more slowly. A typical adult dose may cause levels of this drug to be higher than normal in your body. If you’re a senior, you may need a lower dose or a different schedule. You may also be more likely to have side effects of this drug.

For children: This drug hasn’t been studied in children and shouldn’t be used in people younger than 18 years.