Diuril Sodium Side Effects

Generic name: chlorothiazide

Note: This document contains side effect information about chlorothiazide. Some of the dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name Diuril Sodium.

Some side effects of Diuril Sodium may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA.

For the Consumer

Applies to chlorothiazide: oral suspension, oral tablet

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction while taking chlorothiazide (the active ingredient contained in Diuril Sodium) hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• nausea and vomiting with weakness, loss of appetite, headache, hallucinations, muscle pain, and/or seizure;

• confusion, uneven heart rate, extreme thirst, leg discomfort, muscle weakness or limp feeling;

• urinating more or less than usual or not at all;

• easy bruising or bleeding;

• numbness or tingly feeling;

• fever, sore throat, and headache with a severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash; or

• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Less serious side effects of chlorothiazide may include:

• dizziness, spinning sensation;

• diarrhea, constipation, stomach cramps;

• muscle spasm;

• loss of interest in sex; or

• blurred vision.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.

For Healthcare Professionals

Applies to chlorothiazide: intravenous powder for injection, oral suspension, oral tablet

Metabolic

Hyperuricemia may be an important consideration in patients with a history of gout. Hypophosphatemia and low serum magnesium concentrations may occur, but are usually clinically insignificant except in malnourished patients.

Rare cases of the milk-alkali syndrome (hypercalcemia, metabolic alkalosis, and renal insufficiency) have been associated with chlorothiazide (the active ingredient contained in Diuril Sodium)

Chlorothiazide-induced hypercalcemia appears to depend on circulating parathyroid hormone.

Metabolic changes associated with chlorothiazide, as with other thiazide diuretics, are relatively common, especially when daily doses greater than 500 mg are used. Mild hypokalemia (decrease of 0.5 mEq/L) occurs in up to 50%, and may predispose patients to cardiac arrhythmias. Metabolic alkalosis, hyponatremia, hypomagnesemia, hypophosphatemia, hypercalcemia, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperuricemia are also relatively common.

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular complications of diuretic therapy include orthostatic hypotension secondary to intravascular volume depletion. This has resulted in syncope and, in some patients with glaucoma, temporary loss of vision. Rare cases of cerebrovascular accident associated with thiazide-induced diuresis have been reported.

Hypersensitivity

Thiazides may induce allergic reactions in patients who are allergic to sulfonamides.

Hypersensitivity reactions usually involve the skin (cutaneous vasculitis, urticaria, rash, purpura), but may involve the gastrointestinal system (nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea), the genitourinary system (interstitial nephritis), and the respiratory system (acute noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, pneumonitis). Thiazide diuretics may induce phototoxic dermatitis.

Dermatologic

Dermatologic reactions may indicate hypersensitivity to the drug. Erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, exfoliative dermatitis (including toxic epidermal necrolysis), and alopecia have been reported in rare cases.

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal problems include diarrhea, vomiting, constipation or abdominal pain in approximately 5% of patients. Thiazide diuretics have been associated with acute cholecystitis and rare cases of pancreatitis.

A retrospective case-control drug surveillance study has revealed the relative risk of acute cholecystitis associated with the use of a thiazide diuretic is 2.0. The suspected explanation for this association is the potentially deleterious effect thiazides have on the serum lipid profile. Chlorothiazide-induced hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglyceridemia may enhance the formation of some types of gallstones.

Renal

Renal side effects including new or worsened renal insufficiency associated with chlorothiazide (the active ingredient contained in Diuril Sodium) therapy is a probable sign of intravascular volume depletion, and serves as a signal to reduce or withhold therapy. Rare cases of allergic interstitial nephritis have been associated with chlorothiazide.

Endocrine

Endocrinologic changes associated with chlorothiazide (the active ingredient contained in Diuril Sodium) as with other thiazide diuretic agents, include decreased glucose tolerance and a potentially deleterious effect on the lipid profile. This may be important in some patients with or who are at risk for diabetes or coronary artery disease.

Hematologic

Hematologic side effects are rare. Rare cases of immune-complex hemolytic anemia, aplastic anemia, and thrombocytopenia have been associated with thiazide diuretics.

Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal cramping or spasms have occasionally been reported during chlorothiazide (the active ingredient contained in Diuril Sodium) diuresis.

Genitourinary

Genitourinary problems have been limited to rare complaints of impotence among male patients.

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