This medication enlarges arteries
Hello i’m dr. eli whitney with the heart and vascular institute of texas i want to share information with you about an exciting new blood pressure medication which has a unique way of working it’s called losartan or kosar and it’s identified as an angiotensin ii receptor blocker this medication works by blocking the action of angiotensin ii a chemical which
Produces spasms in the veins and arteries of the body by blocking artery and vein spasms losartan or kosar reduces the resistance to blood flow in the body this lowers blood pressure without reducing the amount of blood pumped by the heart since losartan or kosar does not reduce the amount of blood pumped by the heart it does not make people feel tired or
Weak this is a major advantage with the medication losartan or kosar it works in a very similar manner to the ace inhibitors however kosar does not cause cough which is a major advantage over the ace inhibitors losartan or kosar is very well tolerated in patients and has very few side effects in several studies involving over 3,000 patients with high blood
Pressure half were given kosar while the other half were given a placebo a placebo is a pill which looks like a real medicine but is made of cornstarch over a six-month period of time 2.3 percent of the patients who were given kosar stopped the medication due to side effects while 3.7 percent of the patients who receive the placebo stopped the placebo due to
Side effects from this we know that most pace can’t even tell they’re taking kosar approximately 70% of patients with uncomplicated high blood pressure will have adequate control of their blood pressure by taking 50 milligrams of kosar once a day hyzaar is a pill which contains 50 milligrams of kosar and 12.5 milligrams of h ctz a proven diuretic or water pill
If kosar does not adequately reduce blood pressure then highs are one pill per day should be used approximately 90 percent of patients with high blood pressure will have adequate control with hyzaar one pill per day typically blood pressure falls very gradually over a four-week period of time with kosar and hyzaar we therefore recommend that blood pressure be
Checked three to four weeks after starting kosar and highs are to be certain that the medication has had enough time to work on average kosar will lower the systolic blood pressure 6 to 11 points and hyzaar will lower the systolic blood pressure 16 points perhaps the most important feature of kosar is that it has been proven to reduce the risk of death this was
Demonstrated very conclusively in the elite study in which they took 700 patients with mild hypertension and congestive heart failure half were given the ace inhibitor captopril 50 milligrams three times a day while the other half were given losartan or kosar 50 milligrams once a day after one year the death rate from all causes was reduced by a factor of two
In the patients who received kosar compared with captopril what makes this study so powerful is that captopril has been proven in many other studies to reduce the risk of dying from all causes by 20 to 25 percent in patients with heart disease hence the additional improvement in risk of death from losartan or kosar compared with captopril is very remarkable
Losartan or kosar has also been proven to protect the kidneys in patients with diabetes kosar substantially reduces the amount of protein filtered by the kidneys reducing the amount of protein filtered by the kidneys reduces the risk of developing kidney failure the only rare side effect of kosar and hyzaar is an alteration in kidney function and potassium
Level this occurs in less than one person in 200 for this reason we routinely recommend that patients have a blood test for kidney function and potassium level one week after starting cozart or hyzaar if the kidney or potassium levels become abnormal simply stopping the medication will ordinarily return the levels to their previous levels in summary losartan
Or kosar is an exciting new medication which reduces spasms in the veins and arteries of the body there are many advantages to losartan or kosar first since kosar lowers the resistance to blood flow and reduces blood pressure without reducing the flow of blood out of the heart it does not make people feel tired and weak second kozar is very effective one pill
Per day will adequately control blood pressure in 70% of patients with simple high blood pressure and highs are a pill which combines kosar and the water pill hctc will adequately control blood pressure in 90% of patients third kozar has very few side effects and most people can’t tell that they are taking it fourth kozar is very convenient and only needs to
Be taken once a day fifth kosar has been proven to reduce the risk of death in patients with mild hypertension and congestive heart failure sixth kosar has been proven to reduce the risk of developing kidney failure in patients with diabetes a blood test should be performed 1 to 2 weeks after starting kosar or highs are to check kidney function and potassium
Level this will ensure the safety of the medication i hope this educational video has helped you better understand the effects of blood pressure on the quality of your life and the benefits this new medication has to offer
Transcribed from video
Eli Whitney, MD,FACC – Losartan (Cozaar) By Dr Eli Whitney
