Cosart-H (Losartan Potassium & Hydrochlorthiazide 50mg/12.5mg) Tablets

Cosart-H general information

What is Cosart-H used for?

Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg are a fixed dose combination medication used to treat hypertension, which is persistent high blood pressure when at rest and with no symptoms.  Often there is no cause for high blood pressure, and this is known as essential hypertension.  Risk factors for hypertension include obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, increasing age, family history, high salt diet; also, some medications and conditions can increase risk of hypertension.  Blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted against the walls of the arteries as blood is pumped through from the heart.  If undiagnosed and untreated high blood pressure can cause damage to the arteries and this can increase risk of cardiovascular disease resulting in stroke, heart attack and heart failure.  Persistent high blood pressure over time puts a strain on the heart making it work harder and causes left ventricular hypertrophy.  This is when the left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber sending blood out of the heart to the rest of the body, becomes thickened and enlarged.  This also increases risk of stroke and heart attack and may be fatal.  High blood pressure also increases stress and damage to the smaller blood vessels in the body, particularly in the kidneys where waste products are filtered out of the blood into the urine.  Eventually high blood pressure can cause kidney damage resulting kidney failure.  Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 are used when blood pressure cannot be controlled by a single medication to lower blood pressure to normal resting levels, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and end organ damage. 

How does Cosart-H work?

Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg contain a fixed dose combination of two medications that work together to reduce blood pressure, in a way that is more effective that if each drug is used alone.  Losartan in Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), which acts by blocking the binding of the hormone angiotensin II to its receptor in a variety of tissues including vascular smooth muscle (blood vessel walls) and kidney cells.  Angiotensin II is a naturally produced hormone that has several actions involved in regulating blood pressure, which is the force needed to pump blood around the body.  Angiotensin II also regulates fluid balance, which is the amount of water removed from the blood by the kidneys.  Angiotensin II causes salt (sodium and potassium) and water retention by the kidneys, which in turn causes blood vessels to constrict (narrow); this increases blood volume while at the same time reducing blood vessel volume, which increases blood pressure.  Losartan in Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg blocks the binding of Angiotensin II to its receptor, preventing its pressor actions (blood pressure increasing) resulting in dilation (widening) of blood vessel and increased amount of salt and water removed by the kidneys into the urine, which lowers blood pressure.  Hydrochlorothiazide in Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg is a diuretic and acts directly on the kidneys to promote the removal of salts and water from the blood, which increase the urine volume and decreases blood volume.  The combined action of Losartan and hydrochlorothiazide in Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 provides a significant and additive reduction in blood pressure, which is maintained for as long as you take your Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5.

What does Cosart-H contain?

Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg contains two active ingredients, Losartan (50mg), an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), and hydrochlorothiazide (12.5mg), a thiazide diuretic, which work together to lower blood pressure. 

Treating hypertension (high blood pressure) with Cosart-H

Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg contain a fixed dose combination of two medications, Losartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), and hydrochlorothiazide, a thiazide diuretic, that work together to reduce blood pressure, in a way that is more effective that if each drug is used alone.  Hypertension is persistent high blood pressure when at rest, with no symptoms and often no cause and this is known as essential hypertension.  Risk factors for hypertension include obesity, smoking, lack of exercise, increasing age, family history, high salt diet; also some medications and conditions can increase risk of hypertension.  If undiagnosed and untreated high blood pressure can increase risk of cardiovascular disease resulting in stroke, heart attack and heart failure.  Persistent high blood pressure over time also puts a strain on the heart making it work harder and causes left ventricular hypertrophy, which is thickening of the left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart.  This also increases risk of stroke and heart attack and may be fatal.  High blood pressure can also cause kidney damage due to resulting kidney failure.  Losartan in Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg is an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), which acts by blocking the binding of the hormone angiotensin II to its receptor in a variety of tissues including vascular smooth muscle (blood vessel walls) and kidney cells.  Angiotensin II causes salt (sodium and potassium) and water retention by the kidneys, which in turn causes blood vessels to constrict (narrow); this increases blood volume while at the same time reducing blood vessel volume, which increases blood pressure.  Losartan in Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg blocks the binding of Angiotensin II to its receptor, preventing its pressor actions (blood pressure increasing) resulting in dilation (widening) of blood vessel and increased amount of salt and water removed by the kidneys into the urine, which lowers blood pressure.  Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic and acts directly on the kidneys to promote the removal of salts and water from the blood, which increase the urine volume and decreases blood volume.  Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 are used when blood pressure cannot be controlled by a single medication to lower blood pressure to normal resting levels, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and end organ damage. 

What are the side effects of Cosart-H?

The most commonly reported side effects when taking Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg include dizziness, headache, cough, skin rash, nasopharyngitis (inflammation of the nose and throat), nasal congestion, sinusitis, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, gastric reflux (dyspepsia), muscle cramps.

When should Cosart-H not be used?

You should not use Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg if you:

• are allergic to losartan, hydrochlorothiazide, sulphonamides or any ingredients in Cosart-H
• are pregnant or are breastfeeding
• have kidney or liver disease
• have trouble passing urine
• are diabetic without discussion with your doctor as you may need to change the dose of your diabetic medication
• are taking medicines that interact with Cosart-H including other antihypertensives, diuretics like furosemide, potassium-sparing diuretics like spironolactone, potassium tablets or potassium-containing salt substitutes, lithium for mood disorders, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antacids like aluminium magnesium hydroxide, other antihypertensives, diuretics like furosemide, narcotic analgesics like codeine, barbiturates for epilepsy like phenobarbitone, corticosteroids like prednisone, cholestyramine and colestipol, for high cholesterol, muscle relaxants like tubocurarine, alcohol
• are taking Co-trimoxazole (Sulphamexthoxazole/Trimethoprim) [Trusul/Bactrim DS]

What medications interact with Cosart-H?

Several medications interact with Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg and should either not be taken while you are taking Cosart-H or only after discussion and instruction from your doctor:

• Drugs that cause a serious reaction with Cosart-H: potassium tablets, potassium-containing salt substitutes or potassium-sparing diuretics like spironolactone may increase potassium levels, alcohol
• Drugs that increase side effects: other antihypertensives, diuretics like furosemide, narcotic analgesics like codeine, barbiturates for epilepsy like phenobarbitone, corticosteroids like prednisone, alcohol
• Drugs that affect Cosart-H: other antihypertensives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antacids like aluminium magnesium hydroxide, cholestyramine and colestipol, for high cholesterol
• Drugs that are affected by Cosart-H: lithium for mood disorders, muscle relaxants like tubocurarine

How should Cosart-H be taken?

You should take your Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg with a glass of water, with or without food once a day, at the same time each day.  Your dose may be increased, depending on your condition and your doctor’s recommendation.  You should continue to take your Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg for as long as recommended by your doctor, to keep your blood pressure down to normal levels, as Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg will help control your blood pressure but will not cure it.

How long should you take Cosart-H?

You should continue to take your Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg for as long as recommended by your doctor, to keep your blood pressure down to normal levels, as Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5mg will help control your blood pressure but will not cure it.

Missed dose of Cosart-H

If you miss a dose of Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg take it as soon as you remember, unless it is time to take the next dose, then skip the missed dose.  Do not take a double dose.

How should Cosart-H be stored?

You should store your Cosart-H tablets 50/12.5 mg below 25°C in a cool dry place.