Q: I am a type 1 diabetic and my physician prescribed Losartan for blood pressure control. My calves, ankles and feet are constantly swollen, which restricts my exercise regimen. My physician has not offered a “solution.” What, if anything, can I do to alleviate the swelling?
A: You state your doctor is not offering a solution so I will assume there is no life threatening cause of your swelling such as heart, liver, or kidney failure. Have you tried support stockings? Support hosiery helps keep fluid from accumulating in your legs. Try elevating your legs when you are watching TV, reading, or on the computer. If you are aware of varicose veins on your
legs, you might want to see a vein specialist. Some varicose veins now can be treated with minimally invasive injections rather than surgery.
This is a less than satisfactory answer. Is swelling a side effect of losartan? Are other anti-hypertensives effective for this patient. The primary physician’s response is insensitive and the response on your website uninformed.
Tell your doctor to come up with an alternate drug. That is ridiculous…walking or trying to walk around with swollen legs, ankles, feet. I am on my 12th medicine. There are hundreds of medicines. Try different ones until one is tolerable.
The response your received was lame.
I have the same problem, and no one seems to care, excpet me !!! Heart guy, his nurse Chief, regular Doc, pain Doc, pulmonist, ON AND ON, NO SOLUTIONS EXCPET SOCKS ?? I was trying to golf in Mickey land last week, 88 degrees! HOW CAN YOU WEAR THOSE TO THE POOL ?? I should look great with my 40″ WAIST, SPEEDO, AND KNEE HIGH SUPPORT SOCKS !!!!!!!
My doctor always checks my ankles. I am also on a water pill. Losing weight is important and excercising is important. A good excersize while standing is to raise your heels up an down. This helps pump blood back to your heart to remove excess water.
good tip…thanks!
LOL
I agree. The response is lame.
If Losartan causes swelling, its not good for you.
Try another medication.
I know that Organo Gold Ganoderma Spore powder will cure you of the swollen legs and all. Its a food supplement when taken will normalise ur system including diabetes and hypertension.
hi, where can I buy that organo gold spore powder?
How impressive. Must try some. I’m fed up with conventional doctors, especially when it comes to leg problems. Ihave an ulcer on my leg and it weeps and is painful. Apart from binding it up and putting cream on it, they don’t do much else. Did a search on this product and I love what I read.
Losartan and Metosartan cause swelling. Other than that Metosartan causes severe headaches. I suffered with headaches for almost 6 months on Metosartan+Telmisartan combo. Every doctor I went to told me that it was not due to the either of these drugs. All the same, my insight told me that this was due to Metosartan as previously, I was on Amtas AT (Amlodipine+Atenolol). I was going well , but I did have swelling on my ankles at times. But my pressure was well maintained at 120/80. So Finally after 6 months of suffering, I am back on Amtas AT. I stopped Metosartan+telmisartan combo on my own and those terrible headaches are gone for ever. I was even advised to visit a Neuro by the last doctor! Doctors are not always aware of the latest drug side effects and they just ignore the patients views. Sometimes your gut feeling is right…
Ask your doctor if he could prescribe the lozartan with a water pill in it. The same thing happened to my mom and I suggested to the doctor and know she no longer gets those swollen legs or feet. I also suffer from high blood pressure and I saw about 4 different doctors and they were giving me all kinds of different medications that were making more sick. Until I saw a older doctor and he told me I was prone to diabeties and he suggested i take lozartan with a water pill and now I feel fine and am also exercising to lose some weight.
I started taking Losartan before it went generic; it was the 3rd drug I tried; am not diabetic and have not observed swelling; i would not be keen on trying out 12 different drugs, if there was no danger in the one I used.
I had a DVT in my leg in 2008 also an insulin diabetic. Since then I have swollen calf and fluid keeps weeping out and causing infection every 4 months. I’ve now been diagnosed with an enlarged heart. All I get told by the doctors is lay with your feet raised or we need to amputate the leg. I think this has doctors stumped. They have no cure.
It is not the medicaton, I been taking it for over 5yrs. It is your sodium intake the doctor should have prescribe fluid pills for you and restricted your sodium intake to about 1500mg of salt/sodium. The national daily intake should be no more than 2000mg you should take this very serious because that fluid can build up around your heart, and thats not good at all.
Because the medicine does not cause swelling in one person’s legs does not mean it will not cause swelling
in the legs of another person. I take Losartan and have a
lot of swelling. Docs just don’t care anymore.
Is the swelling typical of Losartan?
I have minor swelling around my ankles, my Doctor’s first RX was to limit my sodium intake to below 1500mg of salt/sodium. If that doesn’t work he will prescribe fluid reducers. This requires the use of salt free seasoning blends like Mrs.Dash and checking the content on all prepared products like cake, pancake and condiment products. I also check the fat and cholesterol content at the same time.
I was on Amlodipine Besalate + Atenolol but BP was not completely under control so the Dr. prescribed Lisinopril. Immediately my ankles swelled and I didn’t feel as well. After several weeks through losing 10 lbs, meditation, less salt and carbs, etc. I dropped the Linisopril. Find for a year, until I got under a lot of stress and pressure and took the Lisinopril. Same result; swelling, tiredness, etc. etc. I called the Dr. and ‘fessed up. He INSISTED it was not the Lisinopril – it had to be the Amlodipine Besalate until I persuaded him that almost a year of living normally and confortably without Linisopril my health and comfort were compromisded by it. He finally agreed and told me if I got in trouble again to take exta Amlodopine. Different people react to different drugs in unusal ways. Insist your Dr. find a solution.
I am a Type One diabetic on the pump. I have been on losartan for about a year or so and haven’t had swelling from it. However, I do have swelling in one leg due to phlebitis. I use an Excerciser 2000 twice a day for 16 min. It has caused the swelling to diminish. Nothing else I have tried has helped. I don’t think the losartan caused the swelling.
Bystolic has worse side effects than Losartan. One of
the sid effects is back pain and swelling of ribs. My
doctor told me to take Tylenol for pain. About three
months age I stopped it, yet the pain is still there.
Any medicine for it, please. Thank you
I’ve been taking Avapro, a drug of the same class, for years without those side effects. As suggested by others, sometimes a switch will help. All BP meds have side effects, however, but some are more tolerable. Good luck.
I’m 68 and this damn Losartan also made my feet swell. Other side effects were dizziness almost permanent, itching eyes, skin irritation and weight gain.
All this disappeared as soon as I discontinued the “thing”.
I’m having excellent results with magnesium chloride.
You see, doctors don’t know anything, nor do they give a damn about their patients.
Don’t bother talking to the doctor.
Get smart and look for alternatives by yourself.
I’m all for self-medication.
I happen to know better about myself than any f… doctor.
Don’t be too quick to take a diuretic unless you’re sure it’s absolutely necessary. I was taking hydrochlorothiazide(HCTZ)and it lowered my kidney filtration rate permanently.
Having read tat B.P medication was considered to better taken a few hours before retiringto bed, I found that the swelling issue created by Losartan et al was markedly reduced.
I too am all for self medicating , but the problem arises as to which ones are best suited for each individuals needs.On can spend endless hours comparing and trying each in turn tom the point that fatigue sets in after a time.
Regular daily walking if possible withna controlled diet regime creates a sound basis for ofsetting fluidbuild up as the combination lead to a stronger circulation brought on by a more efficient and stronger heart, aided by a weight reduction.
I have a similar problem with Lisinopril. I know its not sodium because it appeared with the medication, and when I am taking less medication, it goes away. Anyways, I told my doctor the pain and swelling made it hurt to exercise, and he gave me a very good tip, to take my medication before bed instead of in the morning. It helps a lot. I have also heard of others who take the medication just after they exercise so that the pain and swelling is at is lowest point. I would also recommend that you research Linus Pauling’s claims about vitamin C. It is making an incredible difference for me. I am not off my medication (yet) but my blood pressure is much lower after only one month.
I was taking Losartan for 2 years then sudinly i was takin to the hospitol .My bp drop to 90 ?70 iwas severly dehidrated went off all bp meds bp for 4 days no high bp but dr put me on lisinapril any way bp still low wander if i really need any at all.
On losartan for some years but had numbness in finger extremities…. Dr changed to Temisartan together with amlopidine…..this worked well….BUT new Dr said we(NHS?) cant afford this treatment and reverted to Losartan and again numbness returned. After a strong request the treatment was reverted back to Temisartan and this seems to work well for me. Good luck!!
I am a Diabetic TypeII with HTN. I take Losartan/HCTZ and my legs, feet and ankles are so, swollen, they began “weeping” and then became infected. I now have a major ulcer, with a wooud vac. I had never experienced any of this before. I barely walk, feet/anles and claves swollen astronimically….stockinggs don’t work (too much edema), taking diurectics (furosemide, HCTZ in the LOsartan….condition worsening……help….docotors useless….for months they have left me in this condition and all they say is “I don’t know why”……Today, after reading some questions, I am taking myself off Losartan and do some research about my options….between the doctors and the pharmaceutecals, who gets to kill me faster…”Ms Disillusioned…..
You should see another Dr. preferably a specialist since your Dr. does not have any alternative for you. Any drug that causes swelling like you describe should be discontinued. Swelling of the legs and ankles is listed as a serious side effect of Losartan.
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is anyone considering swelling due to lympedema? One sign/difference is the lack of impression left on leg upon light pressure.
I have been on Losartan with diuretic for a few years. However, over the last year things have been going drastically wrong. Every joint in my body hurts…sometimes even my skin hurts to touch. I have chronic insomnia but when I finally fall asleep and wake up I feel as if I have a hangover. I was just recently diagnosed with closed-lens glaucoma yet I have have 20/20 vision. I have NEVER had any vision issues in my life. It is hard to explain but I feel as if my taste buds are off and have a very strange taste in my mouth that I can’t get rid of. The worst thing that has happened is severe panic attacks…or what I thought were panic attacks out of nowhere…and I do mean nowhere. I remember the day that one of them literally pulled me out of a sound sleep. The panic attacks got so bad that I had to be put on anti-anxiety medication just to leave my house to go to work. There are times when my body hurts so bad that I can’t imagine how I will go on and the swelling in my hands and face is very strange. Approximately a month ago I had to schedule an emergency dentist appointment because the left side of my lower face/where mumps would be…swelled to the point where I was convinced that I had some sort of lymphoma. It lasted almost 24 hours and then went away. I took pictures of it and the dentist thought that it was a blocked salivary gland that could be cause by a little stone in the duct. Again…I have never had issues like this. After reading all of these entries I am going to discontinue the use of them medication as I truly feel that it could cause irreparable damage to my body. I have mentioned these issues to my doctor many times and each time he indicates that it sounds like depression or anxiety related symptoms. I’m 40 years old!!! I shouldn’t be feeling like this and it is very strange that the depression and anxiety came on at the same time as all of the other symptoms.
After 7 months on Losartan w/htcz my ankles felt like I had sprained them. Only slight swelling but painful to walk. I have always walked one or two miles ea. day but now have been unable to. I have varicose veins in both legs and feet which prior had not bothered me at all. Could it be the Losartan? Have wondered if anyone else has had this problem.