Hydrochlorothiazide for High Blood Pressure User Reviews (Page 5)

• lola
• September 13, 2009

"I have been taking Diovan for years for my blood pressure. Recently, it stopped working to keep the numbers down. I was 180-190/85 and began to take EForge, which was a combination of Diovan and a beta blocker. I got sick and my ankles swelled so badly they hung over my shoes. My doctor changed me to the hydrochlorothiazide along with the Diovan and it has worked wonderfully. There is a combination pill but I am afraid to take it because if I have a reaction then I have to stop both medicines, as happened with the EForge. No real problems with urination as I had expected."

• Nyang
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 13, 2018

"I was diagnosed with high BP about a month ago -171/102. Took this pill for about 2 weeks and I didn’t see much of a change with BP. I stopped taking it and noticed my BP was lower around noon but would spike in the evening. Went to the ER today because of pain in my back ( kidneys?).....I will start taking the pills again. Not sure if hBP is causing pain in back?"

• Londawg
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 6, 2022

"I've been on Losartan and HCTZ for a few years now. I've had mixed experiences and after some research I think it has to do with the manufacturer. The same generic drug can be produced by several different companies. for Example I had losartan from Aurobindo and had no issues. I changed pharmacies and was given Losartan from Camber which was awful. went back to Aurobindo and problems went away. My HCTZ is from Leading Pharmaceuticals. I am currently on a Losartan-HCTZ combo pill from Lupin Pharmaceuticals and have no issues. Can you all post which manufacturer you were given? the pill will have letters and numbers on it you can google. or just post the Letters/Numbers. I am willing to bet the wide range of experiences can be at least partially link to the manufacturer. If we all post, we might just find that there is a manufacturer to avoid just like Camber Pharmaceuticals."

• LOIS
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2022

"I was prescribed this several years ago with no problems but I discontinued it because I was worried about it affecting my kidneys. Took it again a couple months ago and within 30 minutes I had respiratory distress. Went to the hospital for several days on oxygen. Come to find out that I was one of the rare cases to have this reaction. I am now severely allergic to this medication."

• DeeH
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 8, 2021

"I was prescribed 12.5 mg for hypertension. My BP was averaging 140/90, even though I am very active and vegetarian. It reduced my blood pressure, but about one month after I started taking it I began to have frequent nosebleeds that lasted only about 15 seconds. My PA did not discuss side effects. She didn't even discuss lifestyle factors that contribute to high blood pressure. When I told her about the nosebleeds, she said they were probably caused by high blood pressure, so I started checking my BP whenever I had a nose bleed. Needless to say, my BP was under 120/80, so I just stopped taking the HCTZ. Now, my BP is normal. It was likely high as a result of working nightshift and not getting much sleep for the past 5 years. I now have a day-shift job and feel much better. I also have a new doctor. If you take this med, pay attention to your body. Your body might be telling you to stop taking it."

• Works...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 8, 2022

"My doctor put me on this drug starting with 12.5mg/day when my blood pressure was consistently in the low 140's/75 approx. 8-10 years ago. It knocked the 140 down to 135 on average. As I aged, my bp crept back up to the 140's again, so the doc increased my dose to 25mg/day approx. 2 years ago. Again, I am down in the 135/75 area. My new doctor thinks I should consider taking something different to reduce my top number even more, but I'm hesitant to do so. I take it first thing in the morning only and have no side affects or other problems. It supposedly makes you pee more and should not be taken at night for that reason; I have not noticed any increase of urination by taking it in the morning. I drink 6-8 cups of coffee in the morning, so the drug's affects might be masked by the volume of coffee I drink(?). If my average bp creeps back up in the coming years, I may need to consider another drug. My present doctor doesn't like adding another drug to hydrochlorothiazide."

• Redem
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 15, 2021

"Was on hydrochlorothiazide for 5 days. Constant and severe panic attacks. The water weight loss was nice. Ended up with violent shivers, went to the Er and had extremely low potassium especially but all my electrolytes across the board were very low. Had to have potassium given orally and by IV for hours just to get to a stable level and that is very painful. Doctor took me off it immediately."

• Frank...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 4, 2022

"This was one of four drugs that was prescribed to me for extremely high blood pressure. The combination appeared to be working for quite some time. About two years into my treatment, my doctor discovered that my blood sugar was running high. I did the work to cut out carbs and sugar to the point of "going keto". That was very successful in controlling blood sugar and my numbers even improved. However, once I started adding the slightest amount of carbs my blood sugar would rise. I just thought it was odd that these blood sugar issues seemed to appear out of nowhere. I suspected one of my drugs was the cause. It took my another year to figure out that HCTZ was the culprit. Through that year I figured out that low potassium was causing issues and started supplementing with that and then I think I found an article that mentioned associations with blood sugar and HCTZ. As an experiment, I removed HCTZ from the equation and in less than a week I was having normal blood sugar readings."

• Katluv
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 24, 2020

"This medication was ineffective for me - years ago, I had a mini-stroke, also known as a TIA. At first, hydrochlorothiazide helped a little bit, but when you have 158/90 BP, you need more than 5% reduction in it. This medication made me severely dehydrated and caused significant electrolyte loss. I quit it and tried Chlorthalidone, but that again failed - if you only have mild elevated BP, this could be OK; if you have significant hypertension, though, you are much better suited to a real medication, such as a beta blocker."

• KrisG8r
• November 17, 2008

"I was taking Diovan by itself and was having difficulty getting my top numbers down. I was always running right around 145/80-85. When they changed me to the Diovan HCT I am right on target 117/70. And the HCT made the difference."

• Circu...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2017

"Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) didn't effect my blood pressure much at 12.5mg or 25mg. It stayed around 145/95. When I added 10mg Lisinopril on top of 25mg HCTZ, it went to 120/85. I don't know how much of the benefit comes from (HCTZ) and how much from Lisinopril. I rate HCTZ high, though, because it's very inexpensive and caused no side effects."

• Baby...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• August 6, 2021

"I have taken 25mg of HCTZ once a day for 6 years. I now have cancer and my oncologist recommends that I stop taking it. Within a day or 2 of the medication, my head and neck audibly pound with each heartbeat. 24/7... supine, prone, sidelying, reclined, or standing. I also develop light swelling around both ankles. I feel my body and organs have acclimated to the diuretic such that I shouldn't come off it. Anyone elso have insights?"

• LadyCAT
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2021

"I take Lisinopril for high blood pressure. I had a situation where I had to go to the ER because my blood pressure went up. I was prescribed the HTZ to bring it down. I took it for 30 days along with my Lisinopril and my new BP, amlodipine. Recently went to the doctor and all of my vitals were excellent except for one, a1c! I am convinced that this water pill caused my new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes!! I was very angry and I told the doctor that I am not going to take this anymore regardless of whether he sends it to the pharmacist. I came off the med and for three straight days I am not felt any tiredness or any of the side effects once I drop this water pill. Warning, stay away from water pills! Just do the exercise and take one if not an additional BP med. I am going to kick this diabetes diagnosis. I have never had diabetes in my entire life just high blood pressure. And they shot my blood sugar up higher than it is ever been in my entire life."

• Lhasa
• August 7, 2009

"This medication was used with Pimobenidan (a "miracle drug" hypertension medicine for my dog Cody's heart disease). Made him urinate constantly and made him tired. Went back to the Lasix. This hydrochlorothiazide is easier on his kidneys, but he was feeling bad. Put him back on the Lasix and he's back to himself."

• Lynet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2022

"I took it for 11 days. I had a rash on my chest and my eyes became puffy and sore. The rash might have been from the sun because this medication does make you sensitive to the sun. I had to put Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream in it to clear it up."

• Cruz
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 18, 2022

"Having all sorts of problems with lisinopril and metoprolol succ, doctors prescribed hydrochlorothiazide and three other meds. Worked great taking down blood pressure but in a month my sodium level dropped to 124, should be 133 to145. 4 days in hospital, a nightmare."

• Joey
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 2, 2022

"My doctor had me on 1 pill of hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg and after initial cramping, my body was ok after adding more electrolytes. Eventually, I agreed with him to try 2 pills of 25mg a day, and it went fine for a month-two. Then I had dizziness bouts for a whole day and I kept taking naps (which I read were signs of dehydration) and my skin and mouth were drier, my vision doubled in blurriness (some from first pill too), and I got pink eye from the dryness and irritation. I just felt very "off", so today I went back to one pill. It does help, but stay on track with your electrolytes, especially if you're doing a low carb diet AND taking these! On a side note, companies DO put in different ingredients, so if you have a bad reaction, try another company and see if it works better."

• kstib
• January 17, 2012

"Before I started taking this medication, my blood pressure was 148/98. It's now 117/78 on a consistent basis, and I haven't noticed any side effects."

• Ccbb
• April 22, 2016

"Be very careful! With in an hour of taking the first dose my husband was in a coma and never recovered."

• Barbie
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 25, 2018

"Love this pill. It's a water pill!! No side effects after 6 years of use. My blood pressure is good now. Also take another BP pill at night . I'm 80 and feel like 60."

• scott...
• February 10, 2017

"Worst experience of my life. I was sick for 2 days and felt hung over one the 3rd. Sweats, Fatigue, Restlessness, Minor Vision problems. To me it was poison. This was 1 dose of 12.5 mg."

• rosej...
• April 11, 2012

"The hydrochlorothiazide helps my high blood pressure, but it seems to make losing weight harder, and it is also bad for thinning your hair. "

• Mikyx
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 13, 2016

"Started to take this med, EXTREME dry mouth and overwhelming fatigue!"

• Seve
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2019

"I believe hydrochlorothiazide caused my stroke, one week after taking it I had a brain bleed stroke."

• Samfe...
• October 4, 2009

"I find it causes my hands to go tingly and my heart races sometimes. I have also had tingling in my head to."