Supplements and blood pressure medicine: lisinopril, losartan and potassium

October 20, 2026By VitOptics Staff

Can you take potassium with lisinopril or losartan?

Short answer: Lisinopril, losartan and the other ACE inhibitors and ARBs can raise the level of potassium in your blood. That is why their labels and MedlinePlus single out potassium supplements and salt substitutes that contain potassium, and ask you to talk to your doctor before using either. Do not stop or change your blood pressure medicine without talking to your doctor.

Potassium is needed for cells to function properly, you get it through food, and your kidneys normally remove the excess to keep a balance. The question for anyone taking one of these medicines is extra potassium on top of it, and your prescriber is the person who can weigh that against your blood tests.

Is yours an ACE inhibitor or an ARB?

Start with the name on your prescription label. Lisinopril (Prinivil, Qbrelis, Zestril) is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. MedlinePlus names other ACE inhibitors, including enalapril, benazepril, captopril, fosinopril, moexipril, perindopril, quinapril, ramipril and trandolapril. Each of those names ends in "-pril".

Losartan (Cozaar) is in a class MedlinePlus calls angiotensin II receptor antagonists, also known as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). Valsartan, irbesartan and olmesartan are in the same class, and MedlinePlus gives each of them the same potassium cautions. Those names end in "-sartan". If you are not sure which kind you take, your pharmacist can tell you.

Combination pills count too. Zestoretic combines lisinopril with hydrochlorothiazide, and Hyzaar combines losartan with hydrochlorothiazide, which MedlinePlus lists as a diuretic (water pill). The Zestril label notes that lisinopril "attenuates potassium loss caused by thiazide-type diuretics", so the potassium picture for a combination pill is one for your prescriber to read. Water pills raise their own mineral questions, covered in our guide to diuretics and supplements.

Why potassium comes up

The prescribing information for Zestril (lisinopril) says: "Drugs that inhibit the renin angiotensin system can cause hyperkalemia." Hyperkalemia is the medical name for a high blood potassium level. The same section lists risk factors, including "the concomitant use of potassium-sparing diuretics, potassium supplements and/or potassium-containing salt substitutes", and tells prescribers to monitor serum potassium periodically.

The Cozaar (losartan) label makes the same point in its own words. Using losartan with other drugs that raise serum potassium "may result in hyperkalemia", and prescribers are told to advise patients "not to use potassium supplements or salt substitutes containing potassium without consulting their healthcare provider."

NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements explains the mechanism in plain terms: ACE inhibitors and ARBs "decrease the amount of potassium lost in the urine and can make potassium levels too high, especially in people who have kidney problems."

For perspective: in Zestril's clinical trials, a potassium reading above 5.7 mEq/L occurred in 2.2% of patients treated for high blood pressure and 4.8% of patients treated for heart failure. Group numbers like these don't predict what will happen to any one person, which is why the labels rely on blood tests rather than guesswork.

Potassium supplements and salt substitutes

MedlinePlus lists potassium supplements among the nonprescription products that may interact with lisinopril, losartan, valsartan, irbesartan and olmesartan. On salt substitutes, its lisinopril page says: "Talk to your doctor before using salt substitutes containing potassium." Its losartan page says: "Do not use salt substitutes containing potassium without talking to your doctor."

The MedlinePlus page on high potassium lists "taking extra potassium, such as salt substitutes or supplements" among the causes, alongside certain blood pressure lowering medicines, most often ACE inhibitors, ARBs and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists such as spironolactone. It also says there are often no symptoms with a high level of potassium. That is the practical reason to ask about blood tests rather than wait to feel something.

Food is a separate conversation. The MedlinePlus page on controlling high blood pressure mentions a heart-healthy diet that includes the recommended amounts of potassium. What that means alongside your medicine is a question for your prescriber or a dietitian.

Reading labels: where potassium can show up

Potassium isn't only sold as a stand-alone supplement. It can be one line among many in a multivitamin or mineral formula, listed on the Supplement Facts panel as, for example, "Potassium (as Potassium Chloride)" or "Potassium (as Potassium Citrate)". Before your next appointment, look through:

Multivitamins and mineral formulas: check the Supplement Facts panel for a potassium line and its amount.
Salt substitutes and salt blends sold as lower in sodium: check whether the ingredients list potassium.
Electrolyte or hydration products: check the panel for potassium.
Products you take only now and then. Occasional use counts too.

Lay the labels side by side; our guide on how to check for duplicate supplement ingredients walks through it step by step. Bring the labels, or clear photos of them, so your pharmacist sees the amounts rather than just a product name.

One label detail can look confusing: losartan's full name is losartan potassium. The Cozaar label states how much potassium each tablet contains: 2.12 mg, 4.24 mg and 8.48 mg in the 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg tablets. The same label still advises against potassium supplements and potassium-containing salt substitutes without consulting a healthcare provider, so the drug's name doesn't settle the question either way.

Other over-the-counter products on the same list

Potassium isn't the only nonprescription item MedlinePlus flags. For lisinopril and losartan, the same list includes "aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve)." MedlinePlus asks you to let your doctor and pharmacist know if you take any of these.

The Cozaar patient information also asks you to tell your doctor about water pills (diuretics), "other medicines that may increase serum potassium" and other medicines to reduce blood pressure. Keep all of them on one list, including the ones you buy off the shelf.

What to ask at your next refill

MedlinePlus says your provider will likely check your blood potassium level and do kidney blood tests on a regular basis if you take medicines to treat heart disease or high blood pressure, or use salt substitutes. The Zestril and Cozaar labels both tell prescribers to monitor serum potassium periodically. Useful questions include:

When were my potassium and kidney function last checked, and when is the next test?
Does my pill include a water pill, and does that change how you look at potassium?
Here is the label of the salt substitute or multivitamin I use. Is it appropriate with my medicine?
Is anything else I take, prescription or not, on the potassium list?

If you also take a steroid such as prednisone, its label points the other way: it says "potassium supplementation may be necessary." Ask your prescriber how the two fit together; our prednisone guide has the details.

If you take a birth control pill that contains drospirenone (such as Yaz, Yasmin or Slynd), our guide to birth control pills and supplements covers what those labels say about potassium.

If you take spironolactone (Aldactone, CaroSpir), our guide to spironolactone and potassium covers what its labels say about potassium supplements and salt substitutes.

MedlinePlus suggests keeping a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements you take, and bringing it each time you visit a doctor. If you also take a statin, our guide to supplements and statins covers the questions that come up there.

Where VitOptics fits

VitOptics builds personalized daily vitamin packs from a free, three-minute assessment. The free assessment asks for your prescription medicines by name, along with your conditions and the supplements you already take. Automated checks review the recommendation; some profiles need additional review by a person on our team. A second automated check reads the whole pack before release.

Your result lists every formula, the amount of each ingredient and the reason it is there, including any potassium in a multivitamin or mineral formula. Show it to your doctor or pharmacist before you start, the same way you would any new label.

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Sources

This article is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Prepared with AI assistance using the sources linked in this article.

Last updated: October 2026

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