Losartan and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Ila...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 18, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on losartan for 2 months, been okay till this week. Terrible headache, palpitations, feeling really knackered. Blurred vision. Been off it two days, vision is a lot better. I am still feeling grotty, ended up in A&E, all stats okay, but worried about irregular heartbeat. Not so bad now."

• No...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 25, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "While it lowered my blood pressure, I had huge dips in BP, which left me exhausted and dizzy. After a year on this medication, I had severe muscle cramps, horrible stabbing headaches, stiff muscles, severe heartburn, and weight gain. I told my doctor about this, and he just shrugged. I had trouble breathing on Lisinopril (my throat just closed up), which I took prior to this. I stopped taking the medication and began taking magnesium and calcium, and my BP is not rising, but my symptoms are all gone. Go figure..."

• Blo...
• March 17, 2018

Losartan for High Blood Pressure "I was actually prescribed Benicar 3 months ago for my newly diagnosed HBP, but my insurance company contacted my doctor and informed them Benicar wasn't covered under my plan, so they switched me to Losartan. I have to break the pill in half, and I feel like my dosage is compromised doing so. The first thing I noticed was headaches, nausea, and brain fog. When I mentioned this to both my GP and a specialist I go to, they both said to wait a couple more weeks until I have been on it a while. Now I have joint pain, tingling in my legs and feet, and I notice my feet swell in my shoes. The swelling isn't noticeable, but I can feel it in my shoes. I plan to see my GP this coming week. I am frustrated. I want to start an exercise program. I am not terribly overweight, but I don't know how much exercise I can do with all this joint pain (especially knees). What are my options for a medication change, and will all the meds in this class give me the same side effects?"

• Tim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 20, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Losartan tore me up. I weighed 205 lb when I started it. Doc said to quit taking it when I hit 188 lb. Had me crying and praying for the pain in my head to go away, the shakes, woke up in the middle of the night with light flashes in my eyes, panic/anxiety attacks, rapid heartbeats, my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my head, ribs hurt, gut hurt, zero energy, blurred vision... nasty stuff. They said it would take time for it to go away."

• Sto...
• November 26, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I've been on Losartan for 2.5 years. I haven't had an issue with it until the past 4-6 months. I've been experiencing dizziness, headaches, general nausea, and malaise... and a significant amount of hair loss. I've been checking my blood pressure multiple times daily for the past week, and all BP readings have been higher than before I was placed on BP meds. When my diastolic is above 100 mmHg is when I become symptomatic - dizziness, nausea, headache, heart pounding... etc. I have been thinking these symptoms could be thyroid-related... however, now after reading others' posts, I'm wondering if it's not the Losartan. The high BP on meds has been quite concerning. The hair loss has been depressing... but manageable. Contacting the doctor on Monday."

• Myr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 2, 2025

For High Blood Pressure "My doctor started me on losartan 25 mg, it was not enough, so he upped the dosage to 50 mg. I was taking this for about 3 months. Then the anxiety started. I went downhill from there. Just walking, I noticed pain in my hips and calves of my legs, this was followed by lethargy. As time went on, I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I started having a low-grade headache every day, all day. Then loss of appetite and weakness, I felt like I was going to pass out, seeing dark spots. Any physical movements, I would break into a heavy sweat. And not to be ignored, bowel movements were from small and soft to nearly none. I was so scared I had something serious. My doctor suggested I go to the ER, that's when I looked up the side effects. I could just about check off with every one on the list. I looked up the drug interactions, 323 of them, and I had about 10 of them. I refused to take one more of these pills. After about 5 days and 18-20 activated charcoal pills, that's been almost a week, I'm still having problems."

• Tir...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 2, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I started on losartan 50mg daily, bp went down at first, then became higher, so increased to 50mg bid, worked with bp decreasing for a while then bp increased so my losartan to 100mg daily, again bp decreased, next it was staying up, wanted to change the bp meds, instead 100mg bid. I started with insomnia, bp at 130s/80s, now it is up to 226/122 yesterday. and this is the highest, 190s/100 average now. My legs hurt and it's hard to walk or stand for more than 15 min. Have leg cramps at night more often, headaches every night, nauseated since I started the losartan, now I vomit occasionally. Intense back pain between my shoulders, my right side here my liver hurts every day now, I'm tired all the time, brain fog is worse, I go see my doctor this month. I get dizzy occasionally. At least I lost 30 lbs, the upside. I'm decreasing the bp meds on my own to see if I feel better. My lower back is in pain daily. I haven't gained any weight, but my abdomen is getting larger."

• cma...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 29, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I have been taking Losartan for between 6 months and a year. I immediately had horrible insomnia. Doctor gave me different things to help with sleep but not much use. I tried dividing the dose and taking half in the morning and almost passed out in the grocery store, so I limited it to half in the evening only. For the past month I have had an increase in migraines to nearly every other day whereas I used to get them only a couple of times a month. Now, over the past 2 weeks, I have developed painful sinusitis and been prescribed antibiotics and prednisone. Doesn't seem to be helping. Tried going back on the whole dose and was awake at 2 am and have a horrible headache and my BP seems higher than ever."

• Kba...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "A doctor arbitrarily switched me from Triamterene to losartan 5 weeks ago. The first 3 weeks were okay, tiredness and overall didn't feel great, but my blood pressure went up. Three weeks in, I started getting horrible migraines every day, my ears were ringing all the time and horrible pressure in my head. I also had numbness in my legs and arms. Felt horrible, had to take time off work, finally went back to urgent care and got them to switch me back to the Triamterene. Blood pressure has been back down where it was, headaches slowly getting better. 4 days off now. I can't wait for the side effects of this poison to be gone. Didn't work well for me at all."

• Fus...
• November 9, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "This was the fourth BP medication I tried. I've been on Lotrel, Lisinopril, Atenolol, and last Losartan. I've tolerated Losartan the best. Started at 25 mgs and immediately noticed pain in feet, difficulty sleeping, inconsistent sleeping, head pressure, and dizziness. Cut the pill in half and requested a decrease from my doctor. Started on half a pill, 12.5 mg of Losartan and 15 mg of HCL. Foot pain dissipated, but insomnia remained. Started taking sleep aids, so another pill to counter the effects. Also noticed headache was persistent and so was dizziness. Will look to try something else."

• Fus...
• November 9, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "This was the fourth BP medication I tried. I've been on Lotrel, Lisinopril, Atenolol, and last Losartan. I've tolerated Losartan the best. Started at 25 mgs and immediately noticed pain in feet, difficulty sleeping, inconsistent sleeping, head pressure, and dizziness. Cut the pill in half and requested a decrease from my doctor. Started on half a pill, 12.5 mg of Losartan and 15 mg of HCL. Foot pain dissipated, but insomnia remained. Started taking sleep aids, so another pill to counter the effects. Also noticed headache was persistent and so was dizziness. Will look to try something else."

• Wal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Was taken off all BP medications about a year ago after lifestyle changes eliminated the need. Due to recent stress situations, hypertension came back. BP was 180/100. Went to the doctor who put me back on Losartan Potassium 50 mg. It's been a couple of weeks now, and my BP is down to 120/80 range, which is good. However, side effects are so debilitating. Wheezing, dry cough, headache, mood swings, irregular heartbeat (scary), heartburn, and the worst effect is the inability to concentrate. I'm in a total fog, but thinking clearly enough to remember this was some of the same stuff I dealt with over the years I was taking it before, though less intense back then. Maybe my sensitivity has increased since being off it for a while and coming back to it. Nasty stuff. I can't go on taking it and have contacted my doctor."

• Dar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 28, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I've had no problems at all. Lowered my blood pressure from 130/90 to normal. I was scared to start it because I read the reviews here, but after being off all meds for a year, my doctor started me on lisinopril, but I had horrible headaches, and it made me itch really bad, so he suggested this."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "I have been prescribed Losartan for almost three months now due to high blood pressure. My hair started coming out so much in the last ten weeks I am beginning to have bald spots on the top of my head. I would say I have lost twenty percent of my hair, plus waking up with terrible headaches."

• san...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 10, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Have been on Losartan for 7 weeks. Noticed immediate lowering of my BP, which was good. But a little over a month into it, after a neck procedure, I started having awful belching daily, chest discomfort, slight pain in my jaw, and back pain where I hadn't had pain before. The belching and chest pain are the worst!!! Sleep fine at night. Though I wake up to a headache a couple of times a week. About ready to try something else. Can't stand the indigestion and chest discomfort.....and constant worry about heart attack."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 5, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "I stopped taking this medication after developing headaches and painful nasal dryness, as well as a cough. My doctor prescribed losartan after lisinopril caused a horrendous cough. So now I'm wondering, what next?"

• Hea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "Started taking losartan after having side effects from four other blood pressure (BP) meds. I split a 25 mg pill just to be cautious. It is by far the worst BP med. Gave me a terrible sore throat and a sinus headache that lasted for days. I waited a few days and decided to try it again with another 1/2 pill. Same symptoms, except worse this time. Did not even lower my BP very much. Horrible med and should not be prescribed."

• Ani...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 10, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "This is one of the worst medicines I ever had. I was fine on Atenolol 25 mg twice a day till about 2 months back. Suddenly, my blood pressure (BP) started hitting 160/100. My MD suggested adding Losartan 25 mg with no effect but huge side effects like headache, joint pain, sleepless nights. My MD refused to accept side effects could be due to Losartan. She upped the dose to 50 mg with no effect. However, my side effects increased. Had severe chills, sleepless nights, and fatigue. Now I have decided to change the doctor and consult a new one. I will stop taking Losartan in consultation with the new doc."

• New...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 15, 2025

For High Blood Pressure "After trial and error getting me on the right BP meds, I am now on losartan. I have been on it for 3 weeks now and am fairing pretty well on it. I have had a bit of dizziness and a little breathlessness, but nothing to worry about. I had a headache for the first week, but that went as quick as it came. So far, so good for me, bringing BP down nicely although it wasn't too high to start. I am on 25 mg. I am happy to have found something that agrees with me."

• Lyn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 26, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I started taking Losartan 100 MG over a month ago due to the valsartan recall. Not pleased with it at all. Tiredness, diarrhea, moodiness, headaches, body pain, nausea, heartburn, and lightheadedness. The doctor added 25 MG HCTZ that really wreaked havoc. Ended up in the doctor's office and urgent clinic three times in a week. May look into another class of BP medication. The doctor said the other classes have more side effects, though. Especially beta blockers."

• Ter...
• August 2, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "My blood pressure has been so high that I’ve had to go to the ER numerous times. And at my appointment, my pressure was 203/120, they would not let me leave until they got it to come down. I always have high blood pressure. Low for me is 150/90. It’s very scary. My doctor put me on losartan 100 mg, and it’s been amazing. My pressure is down, and I’m losing weight without trying, so that's going to help. I have had a couple of headaches, but they are not too bad. I will keep using this medication, and I will return in a couple of months and let you all know how I’m doing. Good luck, everyone, hope you all feel better."

• Anonymous
• May 27, 2010

For High Blood Pressure "I was on enalapril for 2 months, the coughing was terrible. The doctor changed it to losartan potassium. The cough got a little better, but I am experiencing headaches every day. It works well for my blood pressure. I am taking 25 mg once a day. I am going to ask the doctor to change it if the headaches don't go away."

• Tan...
• March 20, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "Started taking Losartan after having a weird bout of high blood pressure, almost passing out. High BP episode over a month ago. Started at 50 mg daily, and it is not too bad. I started getting some tingling and numbness on my right side, okay... no problem. I thought it maybe it's some lingering post-COVID stuff, I thought. Okay, I go to 100 mg daily like doc said, and my scores were getting lower, 130-140's over high 80's and 90's. But... I think that is when things got worse. Woke up last week in the middle of the night tingling and numb over the entire body at like 3 a.m. No sleep the rest of the night. Other times I just can't sleep. It's like a force will not let you sleep, and then when you actually fall asleep, you get abruptly woken up, crazy. Then most recently I have poor concentration, like I am in a fog. Slight mild headache and low appetite. Had some mild stomach pain also. Trusting the Lord that I will get to the bottom of this."

• Myr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 2, 2025

For High Blood Pressure "My doctor started me on losartan 25 mg, it was not enough, so he upped the dosage to 50 mg. I was taking this for about 3 months. Then the anxiety started. I went downhill from there. Just walking, I noticed pain in my hips and calves of my legs, this was followed by lethargy. As time went on, I couldn't seem to catch my breath. I started having a low-grade headache every day, all day. Then loss of appetite and weakness, I felt like I was going to pass out, seeing dark spots. Any physical movements, I would break into a heavy sweat. And not to be ignored, bowel movements were from small and soft to nearly none. I was so scared I had something serious. My doctor suggested I go to the ER. That's when I looked up the side effects. I could just about check off with every one on the list. I looked up the drug interactions, 323 of them, and I had about 10 of them. I refused to take one more of these pills. After about 5 days and 18-20 activated charcoal pills. That's been almost a week, I'm still having problems."

• 13j...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 23, 2022

For High Blood Pressure "Well, I've only been on losartan for one week, and I have very blurry vision, really bad muscle cramps, headache, very tired, no energy. I'm not taking it anymore. I would rather just die than to feel this way. I have zero faith in doctors, and this adds to the reasons. I went in for suspected high blood pressure, and not one word about exercise, eating right, meditation, nothing at all... simply wrote a script and off I went. I think pharmaceutical companies kick back for prescribing their products. In my opinion, don't take it... find a homeopathic doctor and try that."