What is Hydrochlorothiazide for?

Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic drug, better known by the abbreviations HCT, HC TZ, or HZT. This belongs to the group called thiazides and is commonly used in high blood pressure treatments and to control and excess fluid retention in body tissues.

Its work as a diuretic is to allow the body to eliminate the amount of water and salt that the body has in excess through urine for some reason caused by high doses of other medications that were counterproductive, such as estrogen, or by diseases related to the heart, liver and kidneys.

What is Hydrochlorothiazide for

Among the benefits provided by this medicine can be found the following:

Helps remove excess water and salt

This diuretic is used specifically to allow the body to eliminate excess water and salt through the urine (either due to health conditions or negative effects that other medications may have). It is also recommended mainly to control high blood pressure.

Keeps blood pressure stable

This condition known as arterial hypertension consists of an uncontrolled blood pressure, which, if not monitored and treated constantly, can lead to serious health problems in organs such as the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and brain. This medicine allows to adequately control this level in the patient’s blood pressure.

It is used to treat some types of diabetes

This drug can also be prescribed in cases of diabetes to certain degrees, to prevent kidney stones and to control calcium levels in the blood.

Hydrochlorothiazide benefits

Hydrochlorothiazide is not as strong a diuretic for the body as other types of drugs of this class, however, its life time in the system is longer, approximately 12 hours (while other products last around 6) so that its function is prolonged and it becomes more effective in the mission of eliminating the factors that cause blood pressure.

When starting treatment in the appropriate amounts recommended, it may take two weeks for the decrease in pressure in the arteries to begin to become apparent. It is important to consume a lot of water during the time that this product will be used, since it causes the body to lose a lot of liquid due to the increase in the amount of daily urine that the patient expels.

Who takes this medicine?

This medicine can be used by adults exclusively under constant medical supervision and indications. Pregnant or breastfeeding women cannot take this medicine since the diuretic can cause damage to the placenta and in the case of lactation, it is expelled through breast milk.

If the patient suffers from kidney disease, it is likely that he will not be able to consume the diuretic, so he should consult a specialist.

Precautions for taking Hydrochlorothiazide

Before consuming this diuretic drug, it is important to assess what types of medications and substances you are allergic to, such as antibiotics, penicillin, and of course the hydrochlorothiazide component.

It is important that you tell your doctor if you are taking any other medications before and during the period that you will need to take the diuretic. If you are on cholestyramine or colestipol treatment, you should take them one hour before or four hours after hydrochlorothiazide, so that the body does not absorb them one after the other.

Also, the specialist doctor who controls the treatment of the individual must be aware of his medical history to know what diseases and conditions he suffers or has come to suffer from.

It is recommended that, during the treatment period, the patient does not expose himself to the sun for a long time and if he must, protect himself with sunscreen, glasses and hats. Excess sun is not recommended during this time.

Use of hydrochlorothiazide.

In the case of this diuretic drug, it must be a specialist doctor who indicates the recommended amount and times for the consumption of hydrochlorothiazide in each patient, as well as evaluating whether it is necessary to maintain a special diet low in salt or sodium in the process. .

In case of forgetting to take a dose, if there are still several hours to the next, it is recommended to consume the forgotten dose as soon as you remember it, but if there is little left to take the next portion of the treatment it is preferable not to take the missing one, and not to exceed the recommended dose per hour.

Side Effects of Hydrochlorothiazide

This product can cause a series of side effects that are not serious for health, but it is also important to take into account and notify a specialist if any appear. These might be:

• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Frequent headaches
• Hair loss.
• Very frequent urge to urinate (although the latter is very natural and common since one of the functions of the medicine is that by this means the substances mentioned before that the body maintains in excess are expelled).

However, there are other types of symptoms that are counterproductive to health and that if they appear, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible and the most advisable thing is to stop the treatment or reduce the doses ingested daily, since they are consequences that should not exist when consuming this product and that can seriously harm the health of the patient. These symptoms are:

• Dry mouth
• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscle weakness and extreme tiredness.
• Drowsiness
• Fast heartbeat for no reason.
• Dehydration (it is important to consume a lot of water at this time of treatment, precisely to avoid dehydration due to the amount of urine that is expelled).
• Blisters on the skin.
• Peeling on the skin
• Hives and rashes, as well as itching.
• Breathing and swallowing problems, also a sore throat.
• Fever.
• Shaking chills.
• Bleeding or bruising created for no apparent reason.
• Constant pain in the stomach and back.
• Inflammation of the body’s joints.
• Vision problems, pain, redness, or swelling in the eye area.

How to store the medicine.

It is important to keep it out of the reach of children, in its original package, under room temperature and away from humid spaces. The medicine should not be frozen for any reason.