After taking benicar for a few years I've switched to Losartan because of the cost?'ve been on Benicar for quite a time, but my doctor switched me to losartan because of the high expense of Benicar. After taking it for nearly two weeks, I do seem to be experiencing more pain than normal( I have advanced osteoarthritis) and am wondering if this could be caused by the Losartan.
Has anyone taken Losartan & had muscular and joint pain & did it disappear once body adjusted?
Question posted by labsnme on 13 Aug 2011
Last updated on 29 June 2024 (11 weeks ago) by Jinna52
17 Answers
I have pain in my scapular area a lot. It can be quite painful but it’s not constant. I never had it before I took Losartan but I’ve been in it over 2 years and it’s still there. I would guess it’s related.
I had severe leg pains. Through trial and error, I tried several over the counter products without any help, but finally came across "Q10" that actually solved this issue! I use MAX Q10 daily...
I was prescribed losartan about 4 years ago for level 2 hypotension (blood preasure).
I had previously tried other medicines, losartan was effective in reducing my blood preasure but not completely effective.
However I have an untreatable upper back and neck injury at least the risks are high for treatment and the ingoing issues may be worse.
Normally although in pain which varies I cope let's say the pain is 5 out of 10.
Over the last 4 years my pain has been excruciating with upto 4 days of a week laid on the floor in agony and sometimes upto 3 weeks of my feet.
The Doctors are useless they don't care at least here.
So I was leading towards permanent disability and ec3n considered arranged departure yes it was that bad.
Then I forgot to take my tablets the losartan
Started to take them again and suddenly realised I had not been so bad the last few days, reduced the dose no major change kept reducing and then stopped.
I am pleased to say I am up and about and back to 5/10 there's something seriously wrong with this medication, it's not the potassium I eat bananas high in potassium.
I am frankly very upset at the loss of 4 years of my life and encourage anyone who has pain to think and check if it is losatan causing the issue.
I appreciate its always a balance but in my issue the high blood preasure is the better of the two issues.
I will also add, a combination of high coca chocolate magnesium, garlic and the bananas have reduced my overall blood preasure.
I hope this helps someone.
I ended up with crippling knee pain not long after I started using Losartan. I didn't know what was causing the pain at first... I gradually reduced the dosage and eventually stopped taking it and the pain went away. I'm not on it for high blood pressure. My cardiologist put me on it...
I'm 63 and I've had arthritis for years and soon after I started taking Losartan 50 mg. (July 2020) I began having excruciating pain in my left hip ridge. The pain would last 2 days and was so awful that I couldn't get up or walk without assistance, then it would gradually subside over the next week -- only to return monthly for the next 2 months. During those weeks all I could do was sit in a chair with a heating pad. Then in Oct. 2020 my right knee became terribly painful, then my left knee, then a knuckle in one of my hands. I love to walk but couldn't, nor could I do simple every day tasks. All movement caused me pain. The pain in my right knee would move from front to back, and also to the inner side. The pain in my left knee stayed along the outside of the knee. An x-ray of my right knee showed no fractures just mild arthritis but nothing serious. This wasn't making sense.
My doctor wanted me to see an orthopedic but I didn't go because my only option would be cortisone or more drugs. Depression set in because I thought that this was how I was going to spend the rest of my life. Then I stumbled across this website and read about others taking Losartan and having the same pain I was having and I immediately stopped taking the drug. That was Feb. 2021 and now (2 mos. later) I feel like a completely different person! No more excruciating pain in my joints, I'm sleeping at night and I can walk!!! I still have arthritis but it only flares up when I over-do it and nowhere near the pain I was having on Losartan. I'm so thankful for this blog because if I hadn't read the comments I'd still be crippled and sitting in a chair most of the day. I started taking hydrachlorathiazide 12.5 mg. a month ago -- with no side effects. Losartan is bad news in my opinion.
I have been on it for over a year. 100mg. This time last year 4/19/19 I was working and doing great. I retired. I am physically active 64 year old.
Over this last year I have increasing KNEE PAIN, HIP PAIN and BACK PAIN. Did the research on line. Lesser know side effects BUT wow! feel as though my quality of life and activity has plummeted which is distressing, very distressing. These are rarer side effects. BUT yes! make no mistake I was so shocked to see HIP pain..that's just not a common things. I am almost at the point of needing help to get out of the chair! I have asked my doctor to switch me off this medication. I am 64 but feel like 160~ best wishes on this. Had I been on this medication when working I would not have been able to get through my day. That's how bad this is for me now and that is a major change.
I am on my second month of Losartan and two weeks ago my hip started hurting. Over the weekend both legs started hurting. The side affect list says that Losartan can do this
I also take losartan. After being on it for several. Months I began to notice severe pains in both of my legs all the way
from my butt my thighs and down the outside of both legs and my calves. My doctor And my pharmacist both told me the kind of crippling pain I have is not from the losartan, and MRI showed severe degenerative arthritis in my spine. With disk pressing on a nerve on both sides causing crippling pain in both legs .
. Check with your doctor or pharmacist. I do know some people have leg problems from losartan, but only your doctor can tell you for sure. I wish you the best and hope you feel better.
Has losartan 100 mg. CAM been recalled. My tablet has 145 on one side and H on the other, oval shaped. It shows a photo of ot. On the page with the ones recalled but does not say it was. I still have trouble with my legs and now afraid to take it.
I have been taking Nifedipine for years and my blood pressure was normal. I switched to a clinic close to my house and seen a new doctor. He added Lisinopril to my medication regime. I started coughing. About 20 years ago I had the same problem. The doctor switched me to Losartan. A few days after taking it I became very fatigued and lost my drive to do anything. Did not want to work. Next I developed severe pain in my hips and my left big toe became swollen, red and very painful. Now my other toes on both feet have become puffy and itchy. I have also developed heated sweat periods. Losartan is definitely the problem... no more of this drug for me.
After five different medications to control my blood pressure losartan seemed to do the trick but now I am noticing that I have leg aching at night to the point that I cannot sleep. Will talk to my doctor about this. I was on several BP medications that made me too lightheaded and also one was recalled for contamination (Valsartan) and Ramipril has been linked to lung cancer.
I have taken Losartan 25mg per day for about 2 months in an effort to lower my blood pressure. Initially it lowered my blood pressure but caused me severe headaches and severe lower back, joint, and hip pain. I let my doctor know my symptoms and he related the pain to my previous siatic nerve pain. Listening to him i started physically therapy for my back. Didn't help at all. The pain worsen. I'm convinced the pain is related to Losartan. I stopped taking it 3 days ago. The pain I have been feeling has decreased immensely! I will control my BP through diet and exercise moving forward. This med is not worth the pain.
Started taking it and within weeks had bad knee joint pain. Now, I have had two knee surgeries in the past (20 years ago) but my knees have felt great for years. Shortly after starting Losartan I started having pain and swelling in both knees. I stopped taking the med immediately. It's been about 6 months since I was taking Losartan now and the swelling left pretty quickly but my knee are not the same, some pain persists especially when walking down stairs. I wonder if this drug has a negative effect on existing problem areas
I've been taking losartan for about 6-7 months. I also have osteoarthritis. After about 2-3 months I started having extreme lower back pain/spasms. Had to have prednisone shot to make spasms go away. Still have back pain. The pain also moved into my left leg. Doctors can't find anything wrong so I am suggesting getting off losartan to see if things go back to normal.
4 days of Lisinopril 5mg daily made my ankles and hands swell up. I stopped immediately. 4 wks later saw physician. Got blood work done. He put me on lasix and sodium. Sadly right after my reaction to Lisinopril for High BP I have extreme joint and muscle pain 2-3 a week that advil can't help. Going on 6 was now.
I was given Losartan 25 for blood pressure, in 4 weeks I noticed all my fingers knuckles closest to fingertips were swollen, the bone was pointing out.. (best way to put it), I was freaked out and asked family and friends, they said it was arthritis, but I never had arthritis... I stopped taking it immediately, it took many months and only half of my fingers knuckles returned to normal. Now its been over a year and still no more improvement... watch out for side effects of every drug you take, sometimes the cure is worse than the illness, and often a more natural solution is available. Now I feel, just turning 50, that arthritis will be a huge problem in the coming years just because of this BAD medicine that I only took for 2 months... it caused that much damage, that fast! and now Im left with daily joint pain-mostly in fingers, and the arthritis "can of worms" now open, for future issues.
Have you been able to reverse any or all of the damage you suffered from taking Losartan?
Related topics
benicar, osteoarthritis, pain, losartan, doctor, medicine
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