Get Informed: Hydrochlorothiazide
Active Ingredient(s)
Hydrochlorothiazide
What does it do?
This product is primarily used for the treatment of high blood pressure. It increases excretion of sodium and chloride by the kidney, although the exact mechanism of its anti-hypertensive effect is not well understood.
- Last Text Update:
- 2009-Nov-21 4:35 AM
- Last Data Update:
- 2009-Nov-20 6:53 PM
Other Names
- Hydrochlorothiazide
- Hctz
- Microzide
- Oretic
How Safe Is It?
- Your Risk Rating
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- Average Risk Rating
-
- Pregnancy Category:
- B
- Black Box Warning:
- No
Facts & Figures
- Date Approved
- 12 Feb 1959
- Est US Patients*
- 3,999,000
- Generic Available
- Yes
- OTC Available
- No
User Age Distribution*
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
* Estimated number of US people currently taking Hydrochlorothiazide or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.org.
Recent alerts for Hydrochlorothiazide
There have been no alerts regarding Hydrochlorothiazide during the past year.
Hydrochlorothiazide Safety Report
Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings
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What is Hydrochlorothiazide used for?
iGuard.org is currently tracking more than 23,400 patients that use Hydrochlorothiazide (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.
| Disease / Condition | % | Average Severity |
|---|---|---|
| High Blood Pressure | 82% | 
|
| Edema (Fluid Retention) | 14% |
|
| Heart Disease Prevention | 3% |
|
| Heart Failure / Edema | 2% | 
|
| Other | 7% |
|
How well does Hydrochlorothiazide work?
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 23,400 users taking Hydrochlorothiazide (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM) . This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iguard.org.
Average Satisfaction Score
(out of 10)
Average Effectiveness Score
(out of 10)
- 75%
- of patients are confident that the good things about Hydrochlorothiazide outweigh the bad things.
- 17%
- of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Hydrochlorothiazide.
Common Side Effects of Hydrochlorothiazide
iGuard.org regularly polls our more than 23,400 users taking Hydrochlorothiazide (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.
29% of patients experience side-effects on Hydrochlorothiazide
2% of patients experience signifcant side-effects on Hydrochlorothiazide
Most Common Side Effects...
-
Frequent Urination
-
= 10%
Less than 1%: Anxiety, Bladder/Urinary Problems, Blurred Vision, Constipation, Cough, Dizziness, Drowsiness, Dry Mouth, Dryness, Electrolyte Problems, Elevated Glucose, Fatigue, Hair Loss, Headache, Heavy Periods, Low Blood Pressure, Muscle Pain, Muscle Spasms, Nausea, Restlessness, Sexual Problems, Thirst, Tremor
Global Patient Feedback for Hydrochlorothiazide ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
Take HCTZ and Atenolol, since then have been told I am diabetec could this be false positive because of meds together. I only seem to have high glucose reading in morning after taking meds, and fasting?
51 year old Female
Posted: 2009-11-19 13:05:13
Question/Comment:
I was prescribed this medicine for water retention. I take many other medications with it. I recently have been having intolerable headaches, even went to ER for it. Quit taking the hydrochlorothiazide because I was no longer having water weight gain. Suddenly my headaches stopped. Few weeks later I took the med. again. Headache came back. This has led me to believe that HCTZ is causing the debilitating headaches, whether it be by itself or with the combination of my other meds.
37 year old Female
Posted: 2009-11-18 12:25:19
Question/Comment:
My Doctor Prescribe this medication on a very low dose because he was concern that my blood pressure was really high. I don't like to take medication because it never helped me but I hope I don't have to take it for a long time again. I was shocked when it came out 170 over 90 at the clinic.
25 year old Female
Posted: 2009-11-11 20:08:22
Question/Comment:
my husband has been taking this and lisinoprol and he never passes a bathroom- he sweats like a faucet- and works in the sun 8-12 p.m. his bp is 110 over 78 and he sleeps for an hour after work. he is also on morphin for back pain does this have a problem together.
58 year old Male
Posted: 2009-11-06 10:19:09
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
One of the side effects of morphine is low blood pressure - since lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide are used to lower blood pressure, it is important to watch for signs of blood pressure that is too low when all three medications are used together. Signs of a low blood pressure include dizziness, drowsiness, and even sweating. Fatigue is also a side effect experienced by patients of all of these medications. The hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic, which means it pulls excess fluid out of the body. Usually, this effect results in increased urination.
If your husbands symptoms continue, become more severe. or are affecting his quality of life, he should make an appointment to discuss them with his physician.
Posted: 2009-11-11 14:01:17
Question/Comment:
Is there a blood pressure medicine that does not interfere with glimepiride? I take hctz and it does. Hctz makes my arms sore also. What is a substitute? 69 black female.
71 year old Female
Posted: 2009-10-01 19:07:50
iGuard.org Answer/Reply:
Although hydrochlorothiazide can decrease your sensitivity to glimeperide, you may still be able to continue to use it while continuing to monitor your blood glucose. As long as your diabetes is controlled by your dose of glimepiride, you may be able to continue to use these medications together.
However, there are other classes of blood pressure medications that can be used in patients with diabetes. In general, ACE-Inhibitors are the class of blood pressure medicines that are prescribed to patients with diabetes because these medications have been shown to also help protect the kidneys over the long-term. ACE-Inhibitors include captopril (Capoten), ramipril (Altace), enalapril (Vasotec), quinapril (Accupril), perindopril (Aceon), lisinopril (Prinivil/Zestril), and benazepril (Lotensin). Treatment decisions should be individualized based on your medical history as well as how well you tolerate the medicine, personal preferences, and cost. Please follow up with your doctor to further discuss the best choice of blood pressure medicine for you.
Posted: 2009-11-01 22:12:53
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51
Patient Comments about
Hydrochlorothiazide