Losartan

[Familyk]

Hi everyone, I've not been doing so well lately. Was decided yesterday to take me off entresto as I was passing out, BP was hitting 80/37 and below.

So, I have today started losartan 50mg.

My question is, has anyone's EF risen on losartan?

I'm really hoping this drug will still increase my ef from 32. I'm feeling anxious all over again.

Thank you

Lx

[HappyPaws]

Hi there,

I’m sorry to hear you’ve not been doing well and are feeling anxious. Shake off the emotion as best you can, I’ve found it really does little to help matters.

As much as drugs are shown to raise EF, stress and anxiety are proven to reduce it!

Try a dose of self-love and appreciation as you take each physical tablet.

I was diagnosed with HF with an EF40 in Dec 2021, aged 52. I went on Losartan 50mg in June 2022. I switched to it after 8 weeks or so on Ramipril as I was having a few unhelpful side effects. There are still side effects but EF has those to and are minds and bodies are good at adapting and learning new levels of tolerance.

I’m sorry but I’ve absolutely no idea if Losartan has had a positive impact on my EF yet or not and no one involved in my ‘care’ seems to suggest a retest (Echo or MRI scan) is on the cards any time soon to see what difference the drugs have made! Or lifestyle for that matter.

I’ve read that many people on here seem to know their before and after ‘scores’ through regular testing. The level of care we receive seems to be a lottery!

The only way I can tell if my drugs are making a difference is by missing them for a couple of days and seeing how I cope with the same level of activity! I’m also on Bisoprolol 2.5mg.

I’m looking into how expensive it is to pay for routine screening outside the nhs. Although talking to professionals can help along the way, I can’t see how it beats having the hard evidence as it were to make an assessment. I can’t see how a meeting with a cardiologist is useful or informative if he or she has no real evidence. Surely any discussion on a personal level would just be subjective?

I was told after diagnosis that screening would be regular and routine. I’ve since been told to expect maybe every two or so years is appropriate for retesting. Taking into account the extremely long waiting lists in my area this will probably be longer apart. It means I’ll never really know what my heart is doing or why.

Despite having an eclamptic fit resulting in an Echo 10 years before my diagnosis showing an EF53 (apparently in those days it wasn’t significantly low enough to tell me about it, even though my father was having a pacemaker fitted around the same time for HF with EF16) my diagnosis has been DCM without dilation and a virus has been blamed as the cause.

It doesn’t take a mathematician, rocket scientist or brain surgeon to work out that there will most likely be a decrease in efficiency at an increasing rate. Decline is unlikely to be on a straight line!

I find not questioning too much too often brings stability, no matter what my EF is doing I still have to get up to get my 12 year old out of bed for school every morning, our three dogs still need to walk everyday and I try to spend a little less time sat at my desk working and a little more time sleeping. It’s ok to cry and ok to laugh!

Unlike most people, I find Dr Google freely available and an amazing research tool with so much reliable and relevant information. I try now to limit my indulgence in time spent reading. I’m trying instead to work out how I can make a difference on so many different levels.

I’ve learnt to adjust my expectations and be more content with my lot and instead of ignoring the future as it seemed so long and far away, I’m beginning to put things in place for when the inevitable happens. As well as make plans for what I want to do and achieve. Giving in is NOT an option!

If you can’t live with uncertainty and if you want a chance of winning the lottery, buy more tickets….. in other words, use the system to champion your own cause, chase up secretaries, ask my gp, make phone calls and write emails. If you need and want to be seen more often ask for it, even demand it! That is the message I get from this forum.

So far when I’ve pushed for answers, I’ve found they only lead to more questions and uncertainty. Very much the warning that’s given with genetic testing which has been offered as a next step to understanding my condition and assist with treatment as well as providing information for future research. However, it might also bring my close family, brother, sister, son and mother deeper into that network of uncertain knowledge I’m learning to life with.

I really hope you get the answers you’re looking for on a practical level and find the peace of mind you so badly desire to dispel your anxiety.

Much love, compassion and shared pain

Xx

[Beardie100]

The drugs have to be optimised for you.As for you I could not tolerate the recommended, evidenced based, dose Entresto. I blacked out too and meds changed.