Losartan and Insomnia: What Users Say

• JTa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "Was put on losartan (green pill) back in 2018. Did not control BP, was switched to white pill, 50 mg. Started off with horrible headaches, stopped it for a few weeks and headaches went away. Started back, one night I woke up with HR of 165, had to call 911. 3 trips to ER for terrible GERD, tachycardia, horrible anxiety which I never had before. Insomnia, and horrible feelings of heaviness in head, chest, and legs. Lower legs feel like pins and needles, and numbness. I felt like it was the end of me. Stopped it 8 days ago, I do feel better, only lingering symptoms are dizziness and heavy legs, and just overall tiredness. When will these symptoms go away??? NP and I are monitoring blood pressure, it has been fine hasn't spiked at all since I've stopped losartan. Horrible drug in which the doctors will not believe you when you say the drug causes these things. When will these side effects go away????????????"

• HJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "Took losartan 50mg for three days for high blood pressure. I had side effects of severe panic attacks, increased heart rate, blurred vision, severe insomnia, debilitating diarrhea, blood pressure actually read higher. My side effect symptoms were so intense I was bedridden. I’m shocked this medicine is legal and FDA approved. I don’t recommend anyone take this medication. For me it was ineffective and dangerous."

• Gaz...
• February 7, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "I've been on losartan for 3 months after a cardiac event, and the drug has caused side effects of profound anxiety on me. Initially, I started taking the drug early in the morning as prescribed, and I would get anxiety attacks about 3-4 hours later. These were really doom and gloom, 'oh I'm going to die' kind of feelings. I realized what the issue was and moved the medication schedule to late at night so that I would have feelings whilst I was sleeping. However, I have found that I have anxiety and insomnia due to this medication. I am talking to my doctor today to stop this medication. I believe it works for my blood pressure lowering, however, it's hard to tell as I'm on another medication as well, and I need to titrate myself to find out if this medication is effective. If you have symptoms of strong anxiety 3-4 hours after taking this medication, this may be the cause. It is very unnerving and puts you into a very strange state of paranoia. Also have left chest muscle pain."

• Big...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "Losartan for a week and a half gave me unfortunate side effects. I started getting severe anxiety, to the point where I couldn’t work my job. I had spells of extreme terror, could barely sleep. The last day I took it before stopping, I had a 30-minute episode where I sobbed uncontrollably and was shaking. Works wonders for some folks, but I unfortunately had a bad reaction to it."

• Lma...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 9, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I started taking Losartan 8 months ago. At the time I was doing Weight Watchers and making great progress. Within the first few days, I experienced dry cough (I have COPD and didn't cough like this), more breathless, back pain, calf and foot cramps so bad I had to force my feet to go flat on the floor, eyesight change, constant anxiety/fear, chest tightness, fatigue, insomnia, and headaches all the time. Then I started gaining weight after 4 weeks and as of this writing, I have put on 24 pounds. Of course, carrying around this extra weight makes it harder to breathe and my BP is going up. I have spoken with cardio and GP and they both tell me it's not the med, I know my body and this isn't normal. I'm afraid to go off it for fear of BP going back to 164/90 but last night it was 147/83 so it's climbing and I know their solution will be to up the Losartan (I take 75mg now). No more, I'm looking for a doctor who will actually listen to me."

• Mar...
• June 1, 2010

Losartan for High Blood Pressure "I took Cozaar 50mg drug for one week and yes, it was very effective in lowering my blood pressure to normal. However, it gave me terrible insomnia, so if I got two hours of sleep a night, I was lucky. It also upset my stomach and gave my heart a big 'thump' every now and then. My vision also became fuzzy."

• Som...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 6, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "I was prescribed Losartan about 8 years ago. I didn't have any issues other than blood clots in my legs that began to reoccur after I began the medicine. I continually brought it up to my doctor over the years, but he has dismissed it each time. Although I have a stress-free life, I have constant heaviness in my chest making it difficult to breathe, chronic insomnia, and massive bruises that form on my leg (without any incident of bumping them against anything). I am tired throughout the day since I am not sleeping and feel terrible. I have spikes in my blood pressure and am concerned because my doctor dismisses these issues."

• Kay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 19, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I’m a 58-year-old female. The only med I take is 25mg of losartan for over a year now. BP was about 140/95 too often. My side effects are getting worse. Insomnia, headaches, diarrhea, dizzy, tired, feet hurt, have to lay down once a day and no longer have the energy to exercise. I enjoy a couple of glasses of wine a few times a week and try to stay low carb and watch my salt intake. I’m thinking I would be better off not taking this since my quality of life has gone down."

• Gra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 2, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "My husband was put on Losartan 50 mg on Sept. 12. On Sept. 14, he started experiencing brain fog and an ache in his right shoulder, along with sleepless nights. The symptoms progressed to unsteadiness on his feet, uselessness of his right arm, and tremors. I called the doctor, and she cut him back to 25 mg on 9/23. Still, the symptoms progressed to so much brain fog that he doesn't know how to use the remote control, can't find things that are right in front of him, and has given up driving and cooking. I have to cut up his food. We went to the ER this past Saturday to rule out a stroke. They said it is his medication. Back to the doctor, she took him off Losartan after he begged her. She upped his water pill and kept him on his Amlodipine to see how he does. He was up all night last night, missing another day of work today. I am sure I have missed something that this medicine has caused him. I pray there are not long-term effects. I don't understand why, if it is also recalled, the FDA has not pulled it."

• Eri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I was only on Losartan 50 mg, along with HCTZ 12.5 mg, for five doses, and it caused some bad physical and mental side effects. They included panic attacks, headaches, pressure behind the eyes, lightheadedness, confusion, foggy feelings, being tired, and also unable to sleep, lack of appetite, and probably more that I am forgetting. I also fainted twice, within 15 minutes of each other, on the evening of my third dose, which included spending three hours in the ER to recover from massive dehydration. I had a follow-up appointment with my PCP earlier today, prior to my sixth dose, and he told me to stop taking it. I have been off it for only 28 hours, and the side effects are gone! I still have a mild headache, but it is considerably better than the past couple of days. I know medication reacts differently for every person, but for me, it was not worth taking this medication/dosage, which did lower my blood pressure a small amount compared to all of the side effects I experienced."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 4, 2023

For High Blood Pressure "I have CVD and suffer from HBP. I have tried Metoprolol (did nothing to lower it) and am now taking Losartan. I started on 50 mg/day with little results. My doctor bumped me up to 100 mg, and my BP went too low. Yes, it was around 104/66. The doctor suggested going back to 50 mg and monitoring. It's been two months on 50 mg, and now the side effects are starting to show up: insomnia, joint pain, and the newest one is pulsatile tinnitus in one ear. Wonderful. ARGH! I will start weaning myself off it by taking 25 mg for a week and then every other day until I feel I can completely stop it. Not waiting on my doctor visiting me in the ER! This drug is NOT worth it. I will start an exercise regime and will try to lose the last 15 lbs I need to lose. Changes in my diet have been ongoing: low carb, no packaged or processed foods, no sugar. I'm sure I will be able to manage my HBP with that if I stick to it. My quality of life is being severely affected, and IMO, this is not a way of living."

• Tod...
• September 21, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "Losartan caused severe anxiety and insomnia. I had to take time off from work, there was no way I could work. And this was only 25 mg pills. I wish my doctor would have told me how bad the side effects could be. It also caused my tennis that I had before to get much worse."

• Bus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 30, 2015

For High Blood Pressure "It has helped to lower blood pressure, but over the year + I've been taking it, I've experienced a 40-pound weight gain, severe pain in joints, muscles in legs and feet, ache in leg bones, tingling in hands and feet, very stuffy sinuses - very swollen, difficulty getting to sleep and/or staying asleep, general weakness and sluggishness, sometimes extreme exhaustion. Seeing Dr this week, hoping we can find a better solution."

• hus...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 16, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on losartan since mid-2016. My cardiologist lets me tailor the dosage to my needs. I usually take between 25-50 mg daily in the morning. Around the end of 2019, I refilled my RX. Noticed that the pills are white now instead of blue or green. I now have to take 50-100 mg to get any BP reduction. And now I can't sleep at night. Was a side effect before when on higher doses. So I asked the pharmacist what's the story. They haven't heard of anything. Told the new GP, and she didn't know anything about it. Any ideas?"

• Too...
• April 4, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "Female, age 67. I presented at an eye exam (March 2016) with freakishly high BP (266/177). That doctor sent me to a nearby clinic immediately after the exam. That physician prescribed 100 mg Losartan and 25 mg Metoprolol. A month later, I had a heart attack. I now monitor my pressure twice daily at random times. Average (145/80). Four months ago, I became vegan. No meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or oil. BP started plummeting about 2 weeks into it. About a month ago, started noticing BP much lower than usual (120/71), this is a good thing, but feeling faint after eating (90/66) is not. It seems that this is likely a postprandial issue since it doesn't happen if I snack throughout the day. Recently, having issues with insomnia, though."

• Tin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 16, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "I was diagnosed with high BP and gout in 2016, took the diet and exercise route instead of meds until Aug 2019, when out of the blue I ended up with chest pain and breathlessness. My BP was 187/107 then was forced to go on Amlodipine, and then my list of strange side effects that turned me into a zombie. My GP changed it to Losartan 25 mg, my BP went below 140 and was hoping for it to go to 120/80, so we raised the dosage to 50 mg. Now my BP shot up to 165/97 and one time my heart rate went as low as 34 with BP of 156/145, yes 145 dia. But no side effects except some occasional lack of sleep. Looks like I need to review the med again."

• Mil...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 6, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "Losartan is a terrible blood pressure medicine. I was on losartan 50 for about 9 months. Felt tired all the time and had increased insomnia. Then blood pressure got up in the Dr's office one day to 180/100, my Dr increased the dose to losartan 100 mg. Felt awful on it for 5 days. Flu-like symptoms, red eyes, and bad, bad leg pains. Went back down to 50 mg, but am going to talk to my Dr about getting off period. I was on Lisinopril, which made me cough so bad I ended up seeing a pulmonologist."

• MSS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 23, 2016

For High Blood Pressure "Took Losartan 50 mg for three days. I'm experiencing insomnia, diarrhea, and stomach pain. I have heart palpitations, my face is flushed, I'm tremendously thirsty, and I feel 'out of it.' Plus, my blood pressure actually went up! Talked to my sister, who is sensitive to medications, too, and found out she's been on this drug for several years. Guess what? She's been experiencing some of the same 'mysterious' symptoms, but her doctors haven't put two and two together. I'm discontinuing immediately."

• Dom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 27, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "Prescribed losartan, partly because I'm dealing with a gout flare, and it supposedly helps with that as well. It's like my doctor didn't even take my disability (which is a 36-year-old C4-5 spinal injury causing partial paralysis and makes up about 80% of my medical records) into account: chronic bad back, chronic edema, spasticity/muscle cramping, tinnitus, lifelong history of migraines, chronic sinus infections, insomnia, bowel and bladder incontinence, chronic fatigue. I wish I'd have researched this medication before taking it, because its side effects are exactly contrary to nearly all of the things that I suffer as a result of my disability. Spent the entire night awake, ears ringing like mad, fever dreaming, head banging on one side, hands going numb, terribly anxious, and feeling like at any minute I was going to explode. I'm going to see if my doctor will put me on something like bisoprolol, which a relative of mine takes and has had very good luck with."

• Anonymous
• May 24, 2010

For High Blood Pressure "Having been on almost every blood pressure-lowering medicine over the past 7 years and had side effects with them all - ranging from extreme tiredness, depression, weight gain (probably due to tiredness), sleeping problems, etc. I have found Losartan to be quite good - as it does not make me tired or cause any other problems. In fact, it has helped with water retention. I am a forty-year-old female whose high blood pressure is stress-related - with highest blood pressure readings being around 190/120 (yep, quite high). I take 100mg of Losartan, and my blood pressure is now 140/90, hopefully will reduce further in time. I have no complaints about Losartan, just glad I do not feel constantly tired as with all other blood pressure medicines."

• 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."

• Mag...
• May 16, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "Losartan 50 mg three years ago. Pain in left eye felt too big for socket; pins, needles, numbness in left arm; insomnia; leg cramps, calf fasciculations. Pulsatile tinnitus. Ophthalmologist said I have naevi in my eye, probably a birthmark, but three years prior and six years prior to that, no naevi. Heart felt like it might just stop. I had anxiety; agreed with GP to come off meds in May 2018 (supervised). Bloods normal, low carb diet, lost three stone, and BP and blood sugar are in normal range. The tinnitus and calf fasciculations remain. Jump forward to 26th March 2019, and my BP is climbing, so GP started Losartan 50 mg but took 25 mg within four weeks, tinnitus +++, calf fasciculations +++. In April, rushed to ER with a pulse of 213 for 45 minutes. ECG confirmed SVT (supraventricular tachycardia), MRI - no structural issues with my heart. No prior cardiac issues. Cardiologist said the next step is catheter ablation, but what about Losartan being the cause? If calf fasciculations are misfiring electrical signals in muscles, why not heart muscle too? So we stop it, wait, and see."

• 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."

• 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."