Losartan And Osteoarthritis
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I've been taking Losartan for mild hypertension. I also have terrible arthritis in my hips, knees, toes and back. I was fit before, apart from mild hypertension. I could have walked a marathon this time last year. I asked the doctor could it be Losartan, as I loved walking and now am not able to walk much at all.

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I definitely believe Losartan HCTZ is the direct cause of osteoarthritis in my shoulders and neck. I was on it for about a year after trying Lisinopril, which caused a lingering, dry, whooping-like cough. Like you, I was very fit -- half marathon runner, century bike rides etc. Since switching to Losartan I can only run or ride a couple miles. I used to do yoga but my shoulders can't handle it. My neck hurts me at night. Before finally convincing my doctors that it was the Losartan, I tried acupuncture, cupping, active release technique, chiropractic, orthopedic massage, magnesium, all out of pocket.

I am now doing physical therapy to try to restore some mobility in my thoracic spine. I'm 50 but I feel like I've aged 20 years. They kept saying it was "normal" or "perimenopause" but I even had to stop gardening. I'm telling you this not to be discouraging but to urge you to advocate for yourself as much as you can.

While on the Losartan the one thing that did help was calcium lactate, which my chiropractor suggested. It made an immediate improvement, but the damage had been done. Now I'm on amlodipine but it hasn't been long enough for me to tell if it too is wreaking some undisclosed havoc.

Oh, and to be more specific: I was actually training for a 72-floor stair climb event around the time I switch from Lisinopril to Losartan. I finished the event but that was the last competitive event of any sort I have done because I began developing excessive muscle fatigue, muscle weakness, and muscle cramping in my shoulders. I didn't immediately suspect the medication, but after a couple months during which I'd already had to greatly reduce my activities, the only thing that jumped out was the change in medication from Lisinopril to Losartan. I checked with my doctor, had bloodwork done because I thought maybe there was an issue with my electrolytes. Everything came back normal though clearly I wasn't feeling right in my body. When I looked up side effects for Losartan, fatigue, weakness or cramping weren't mentioned. As the months wore on, my upper back, shoulder and neck muscles got tighter and tighter. I'd go get a massage and be asked if I'd been in a car accident. Finally I discussed my symptoms with a chiropractor who said it sounded like a calcium deficiency - that calcium regulates muscle contraction. He gave me some calcium lactate and it was literally the first thing that made a difference in all those months. I was skeptical but my body reacted very positively and quickly, like in a couple of days. I wondered how I could possibly have a calcium deficiency and one that didn't turn up in my bloodwork. Then I looked up Losartan and "mineral deficiency" and guess what -- it can, indeed, leach minerals from your body. Including calcium.

Well unfortunately it's not been an entirely happy ending. I had to convince my regular doctor and my cardiologist that there was a direct link. They eventually switched me, but I am utterly convinced that all those months of muscle dysfunction caused by the Losartan resulted in osteoarthritis in both shoulders and in my neck. This is clear as day to me regardless of what those MDs say, and I actually like my docs. Fortunately I have finally found a practitioner who hears me, but I wish I felt more convinced that there will be a good outcome to all this.

I don't necessarily need to be running marathons or riding 100 miles, but I've always been athletic and active, and I want to be confident in my body and my abilities. I can scale down my expectations, but I can't accept what has been a grinding halt.

If there's any silver lining, I have been more focused on postural exercise such as Foundation Training (Eric Goodman), Egoscue Method, and Viniyoga Therapy (Gary Kraftsow). I think especially as we age, mobility, flexibility, and postural soundness become more important but I want them to be supplementary practices to other activities like gardening and canoeing or for you -- walking. I hope this will be so, but just remember you know your body best.

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What types of symptoms are you experiencing? Can you please post back and clarify? Do you think it is causing the arthritis, or was it something you already had that you think it might be making worse?

I hope my question aren't offensive, I am just trying to get to the root of the problem.

The FDA lists the typical side effects of Losartan as possibly including nausea, dizziness, increased urination, gout, hypotension, diarrhea, and anorexia.

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