losartan

losartan — noun

1. a prescription medicine taken by mouth that helps lower high blood pressure by b

1.nounC1
Definition

a prescription medicine taken by mouth that helps lower high blood pressure by blocking a substance in the body called angiotensin II, which normally tightens the blood vessels; this drug belongs to a group called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).

Example

Yael's doctor prescribed losartan for her after a different drug caused a dry cough.

prescribe + losartan + for [reason]

The pharmacist told Lan that losartan blocks a hormone which tightens the blood vessels.

mechanism: blocks a hormone that tightens blood vessels

Common collocations
  • prescribe losartan
  • take losartan
  • losartan tablet
  • losartan dose
  • losartan and a diuretic
  • switch to losartan
Synonyms
  • angiotensin receptor blocker

    the drug class name; broader than losartan alone

  • ARB

    abbreviation for the drug class; used by doctors and pharmacists

  • Cozaar

    brand name (Merck); the most common brand in many countries

Grammar Patterns

losartan (uncountable for the drug substance)

a losartan / losartans (countable for types/doses)

Usage Note

Losartan is a prescription-only medicine, not available over the counter. It is often prescribed when ACE inhibitors cause a persistent cough, since losartan (an ARB) rarely has that side effect. Full blood-pressure-lowering effects usually appear after several weeks of daily use.

Common Mistakes

I took losartan for my headache.
I take losartan for my high blood pressure.
Losartan treats hypertension, not pain or headaches.
Losartan works right away like a painkiller.
Losartan takes a few weeks to show its full effect on blood pressure.
It is a long-term medication, not an immediate-relief drug.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Losartan belongs to a class of drugs called angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). The abbreviation 'ARB' is common in medical notes and pharmacy labels, while 'angiotensin receptor blocker' is the full technical term used in patient leaflets and textbooks. 'Cozaar' is the brand name produced by Merck and may be more familiar to patients in some countries. Doctors often switch patients to losartan (an ARB) from an 'ACE inhibitor' (a different drug class such as lisinopril) when the patient develops a cough. ACE inhibitors and ARBs both lower blood pressure but work on different points of the same pathway; ARBs generally cause fewer cough-related side effects.

ARBangiotensin receptor blockerCozaarACE inhibitor

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • prescribe losartan for
  • switch to losartan
  • take losartan with food

Prepositions

  • of losartan
  • on losartan
  • with losartan

Etymology

English (coined name)English (suffix -artan from angiotensin receptor)

The name 'losartan' follows a naming pattern used for angiotensin receptor blockers, where the suffix '-artan' identifies the drug class. The 'los-' part was chosen by the drug's developer (DuPont Merck) during the 1990s. The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1995.

First known use

1991

1991, in the meaning defined above