Hydrochlorothiazide for High Blood Pressure User Reviews (Page 4)

• Tom...
• November 30, 2015

"I went on it with my BP at 145/100 several years ago, and it lowered it while eating a standard American diet. A few years ago, I started eating a whole foods diet (limiting processed foods) and had to take myself off the medicine because I would become faint when standing up. Fast forward to a trip to Vegas in March of 2015. I went off the bus and fell back into the standard American diet, having long ago stopped regularly monitoring my BP. Four days ago, I woke up with a headache and called my parents to inform them that I wouldn't be making it to Turkey Day dinner. Still had some pills remaining and took 50 mg a day since, along with a 2-day fast and eating whole foods again. It's down to 124/80 after being at 201/113 four days ago. I'm reducing to"

• JTH...
• March 20, 2016

"I am completing my 5th year of taking 25 mg Hydrochlorothiazide - with 1 tablet daily each morning, at times taken with and at others without food. In such respect, I am not aware of having experienced any noticeable effects - positive or negative - at any time. In year two, I came off the medication for some 20 days. CVS renews the 90-day prescription refills with automatic reminders. I happen to delay for more than two weeks with my picking up that refill but experienced no discerning effects with my sudden stopping or upon renewing the daily dosage."

• Mee...
• January 22, 2015

"I was given 25 mg of this for my blood pressure plus 40 mg of lisinopril. I have never had acne in my life on my face. It was around the same time that I started these meds. The acne started as little white bumps around the nose and under the eyes, now it seems to be getting worse with more of the deeper welts (1-2 bumps) with drying skin. I'm 45, and this seems pretty unusual. The doctor doesn't think it's the meds. I'm drinking water with every meal but binge on beer about once a week while watching sports. Anyone else have acne or bumps break out on the face or other places from hydrochlorothiazide?"

• Aun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2015

"I have a lingering concussion, my third, and my blood pressure went high with it again. My Dr. sent me to emergency. I ended up on this drug and another for 4 months. It took that long to get my BP more normal. I am just on the water pill now. The 12.5 mg didn't do much for me, but the 25 mg seems to be working well for me. I don't seem to have any side effects from the meds. I still have concussion issues though. My BP is usually around 120/80 now, and if it does go up, it is around 130-140/85-91. When my Dr. sent me to emergency, it was 201/142, and I was in pain. I'm doing much better."

• Bor...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 15, 2017

"I've been taking 12.5 mg for about six months now and can honestly say it lowered my BP. Unfortunately, it makes me sweat horribly. I was going through three T-shirts a day. I took myself off it last Friday so I could enjoy my vacation this week and will consult my PCM when I get home."

• Yak...
• March 19, 2017

"I am a 48-year-old woman diagnosed with high blood pressure. My overall health is good, however, I do need to lose 50 lbs to be at my healthiest weight. I am on only one other medication (citalopram) for anxiety and have been under much stress lately. I was prescribed this blood pressure medication by my doctor at 12.5 mg. Last evening I took one pill. I was unable to sleep, which is very unusual for me. Tossing and turning all night long. It was the longest evening of my life. I also experienced more urination during the evening. When I was able to fall asleep early in the morning, I experienced vivid, bizarre dreams. One after another. I will keep taking the pill but will take it in the morning instead."

• Anonymous
• September 23, 2009

"I started taking hydrochlorothiazide about 18 months ago. My blood pressure was never very high - about 125/95. It lowered it to 115/85, but my blood sugar jumped to 450 (I was not diabetic before taking HTCZ). My A1C was 9.6. I went off the HTCZ, and my blood glucose went to 97 within a week. I also reduced my diabetic medications from 5 pills a day to 2."

• Lon...
• 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 linked to the manufacturer. If we all post, we might just find that there is a manufacturer to avoid, just like Camber Pharmaceuticals."

• Jai...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 6, 2017

"I have been taking this medicine for a while, but my BP never or hardly ever gets down to 120/80. I changed my diet, so I'm going to do yoga, then see if this helps. I lost 10 pounds already at 220/5'4, so a way to go. I don't want to take meds because I have many side effects that I don't like: the sweats, the aching pains in my joints, thirst, it's really annoying. Is there any meds that don't have as many side effects for hypertension?"

• son...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2022

"This drug works well in getting rid of water retention. I would give it at least an 8 for that. But the side effects are just horrible for me. So I am rating it much lower at a 1. I've tried to take this medication several times. Every time I end up with a very dry mouth, dizziness, and fatigue. It makes me feel very lousy. It is strange that I used to take this drug for many years as part of a high blood pressure combo such as Valsartan HCTZ. But I can't anymore. I think I am allergic to this medication. I will never take it again."

• Anonymous
• June 29, 2015

"My BP was 170/110 and was put on 50 mg of Losartan Potassium, and 6 weeks later my BP was 242/129 and I was sent to the ER, and 25 mg of Hydrochlorothiazide was prescribed. After one week my BP came down and now stays about 140/100. I take my meds about 5 am and I have not experienced any side effects except for feeling sluggish until about 10 am, which is one side effect. No weight loss either, which I was really hoping for!"

• 33...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2021

"I am currently nursing and have been dealing with high blood pressure since I gave birth. I was started on labetalol, but my PCP wanted to try out HCTZ instead because he said beta blockers are not a first-line drug for high BP. From day one of taking it, I had a terrible headache that never went away after three weeks of taking it daily. My blood pressure (which was 160/98 prior to any medication) shot up to 172/118 at my last doctor visit. In addition to the headaches, I also experienced some brain fog, tiredness, and weakness. I think I may have been severely dehydrated from HCTZ combined with breastfeeding (which also uses a lot of the water in your body), despite drinking water all day long... So this was not a good fit for me at all. I stopped taking it today and started back on the labetalol, and my BP is now 142/86. I’ll be asking the doctor to increase my labetalol dose or add on something else because I didn’t have a good experience with it."

• SBa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2021

"My doctor first prescribed amlodipine, which caused swelling in my ankles and feet, then prescribed hydrochlorothiazide. I peed a lot, but swelling noticeably went down by the next day. I had some leg cramps, not sure if it’s related to the meds. Overall, I think it’s helped a great deal!"

• Mat...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 7, 2024

"I've been on this medication since my mid-twenties. After I had a hernia operation and started a new job, my primary care doctor noticed my blood pressure was getting high, so she put me on this medication. I've tolerated it fairly well, but used to get dizzy upon standing when I first started taking it. I called her, and she told me to just eat bananas since this medication can drain your electrolyte balance. Other than that and noticing that I sunburn a little easier at the beach, I just have to be careful to reapply sunblock and stay in the shade a little more, and I need to drink beverages with electrolytes when it's hot out. Also, this medication will make you have to urinate an hour or so after taking it. Other than those minor inconveniences, it has not caused any major problems. I am now 32, going on 33, and have been on it for years."

• che...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2015

"My first week using this medicine, and I've lost 5 pounds without exercise. I'm on day three, and my stomach is going down. I don't have any side effects yet because I drink two cups with a pill, then eat something and drink another cup. It's lowering my blood pressure really well, but if I lay down, I get a little tired. That's it."

• Dis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2023

"I was on irbesartan for about 4 years, but it was causing fecal incontinence, so I decided to ask my new PCP to try another BP med. If I had known then how terrible the other categories of meds are with side effects, I would never have done this. I went to a calcium blocker, which made me horribly ill. So I told him I wanted to go back to irbesartan. The irbesartan doesn't kick in for weeks (I'm praying that it will), so he prescribed hydrochlorothiazide. For four days, I felt fine. Then I started to get terribly weak with on-and-off debilitating headaches. Also, constipation. I stopped one day and felt better. Then I took it for two days and could barely function because of weakness, joint aches, back pain, and neck pain. I stopped again today. I'm seeing the doctor in two days. I am just going to go back to the irbesartan alone and pray that it works. Irbesartan is the category that relaxes your blood vessels. Other categories are horrid for me. This did lower my blood pressure."

• Bab...
• March 29, 2009

"I have taken hydrochlorothiazide for almost 20 years. Had to increase to 50 mg. Never really brought my blood pressure to normal until it was taken in conjunction with Lisinopril. My blood pressure is perfect now. HCTZ is great for water retention. Need to take it in the morning as in the evening I was constantly waking up to relieve my bladder."

• Dee...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 1, 2021

"I was in the hospital in June or July of last year, and my blood pressure was elevated, and this doctor prescribed me this hydrochlorothiazide medication through my IV, and my heart rate was completely out of control. It was so bad when they gave me that hydrochlorothiazide that the nurse had to put a defibrillator on me in case I had a heart attack. My blood pressure was 235/300+, and my heart rate was 175 beats per minute."

• Anonymous
• June 24, 2009

"I've been taking HCTZ in combination with blood pressure medication. So far, it has worked well for water and salt retention. My blood pressure has come down from its highest point of 220/120, which is insanely high, it's now at 140/80. Only complaint, like the other users, is constant urination at night. During the day, it's not noticeable, but right before sleep, I'll go about 2 to 3 times."

• Dha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 23, 2021

"I am sure this hydrochlorothiazide works great for some people, but definitely not me. I was only on it for 5 days, and I almost had every side effect listed. Just recovering now. I could not eat a thing (for all 5 days), and then my blood pressure plummeted, and then I fainted in my kitchen. Now I have the dreaded cough. Am hoping that a little increase in sodium will help. Any ideas how long the cough lasts? I have been off of it for 2 days, so I am hoping this clears up soon. Yeah, you do lose weight, but I thought it was going to be the end of me."

• CCB...
• October 28, 2008

"I started taking this medication in combination with Quinapril, which apparently is common (they also make a single pill containing both medicines). My blood pressure was reduced, though it is hard to say if one medicine was more effective than the other. However, after taking this, I began having attacks of gout, which I've never had in my life. This diuretic increases uric acid levels in the bloodstream, which is the cause of gout. If you are prone to gout or develop it, let your doctor know."

• Don...
• July 2, 2016

"I had a severe allergic reaction to this medication. I broke out in a high fever, blood pressure spike, and broke out in hives all over my body. The hives were so serious I was being dosed with Liquid Benadryl (IV given)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2022

"I’m 45, female. I have hypertension around 145. Went to the ER twice because it went up over 165. My doctor prescribed me thiazide 26 mg because I have side effects with Lisinopril 5 mg. I got low potassium 2.9 after I was taking thiazide for two weeks. My potassium was normal before I started taking thiazide. My heart rate increased, I lost 5 lb. in two days, and my blood pressure was up sometimes. I got a bladder infection. Now I stopped the medicine. Taking potassium to reboot the potassium in my body. Still feeling weak if I'm walking too much."

• Fra...
• 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 me 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."

• Luc...
• August 12, 2017

"I have been on 25 mg once daily of this medication for over 20 years now. I take it with Losartan (beta blocker). I have never experienced any of the side effects (e.g., dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, etc.) that others have reported here. Of course, it's a diuretic, so frequent urination (another side effect others report) is going to occur. But for myself, I've not noticed it, as the only time I experienced frequent urination was due to either a UTI or the massive fibroids that formerly pressed on my bladder; the HZT never contributed to this. So really, I've never had one side effect that I could attribute to this drug at all since I began taking it. In fact, the only warning from the pharmacy is to avoid sunlight or artificial sunlight."