Hydrochlorothiazide and Headaches: What Users Say

• Mja...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2020

For High Blood Pressure "I was put on hydrochlorothiazide due to my BP 150/86. I took it in the morning, and very soon afterwards, my BP went to 171/112. I felt dizzy, had a headache, and felt like something was really wrong with me. I went to the hospital, and they said I was having a horrible reaction. After 2 days of not taking it, my BP went back to what it was. It's great if it works for you, but for me, I'm going to try diet and exercise."

• Eri...
• October 8, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "I was only on HCTZ 12.5mg, along with Losartan 50mg, for five dosages, and it caused some bad physical and mental side effects. They included panic attacks, headaches, pressure behind the eyes, lightheadedness, confusion, foggy feelings, being tired, and also unable to sleep, lack of appetite, and probably more that I am forgetting. I also fainted twice within 15 minutes of each other on the evening of my third dose, which included spending three hours in the ER to recover from massive dehydration. I had a follow-up appointment with my PCP earlier today, prior to my sixth dosage, and he told me to stop taking it. I have been off it for only 28 hours, and the side effects are gone! I still have a mild headache, but it is considerably better than the past couple of days. I know medication reacts differently for every person, but for me, it was not worth taking this medication/dosage, which did lower my blood pressure a small amount, compared to all of the side effects I experienced."

• Cat...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 1, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I'm a 57-year-old woman with high blood pressure. I had been on lisinopril for about a year and a half. I had a severe case of pancreatitis last August, and my doctor said my meds had to be changed. They tried several different meds for high blood pressure, but it was still staying too high. Next, they tried metoprolol, and it was coming down, but the doctor felt it wasn't enough, so they added hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg. I don't retain water at all, so I can't understand why they put me on it. I've been taking it for about 5 months and started having lots of problems, but I'm not sure why. I experienced increased sweating, thirst, headaches, severe sinus congestion, and pain. I talked with my doctor, but she feels I should continue this medicine. I'm considering taking myself off of it to see what happens. If the symptoms go away, I'll know it was this medicine. Any thoughts from others would be helpful."

• Mik...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 17, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "The drug does its job, but the side effects of migraine-like headaches make it impossible to take for a long time. I have to take it twice a week so I don't have continuous headaches. The other side effect is extreme muscle soreness in the back and neck."

• And...
• July 12, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "Worked for me by day 2, my BP now 125/76. I had been on a calcium channel blocker (amlodipine (Norvasc)) for 9 years, and my hair had thinned so badly. When I finally found out that hair loss is a known side effect of amlodipine, I barely took the medication anymore. I started going to a new doc, who was surprised that my previous doc had not tried a diuretic before putting me on a calcium channel blocker. She started me on 25 mg and told me to take it in the morning, and eat foods with lots of potassium to avoid cramping in my muscles, and drink water because I was probably going to start feeling dehydrated, with a headache. I followed her directions, and after feeling slightly nauseous the first couple of days, I feel great."

• Bil...
• September 20, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "Terrible drug. I stopped after one week. I had major side effects such as severe nasal congestion, dizziness, headache, dry mouth, and difficulty taking a deep breath. I was very fatigued as well. I will not take this drug ever again."

• Ima...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2021

For High Blood Pressure "I am a 49-year-old woman, no weight issues, never a smoker. I have been on lisinopril the past year for sudden high blood pressure. Then I started to have vertigo and severe vertigo that was so debilitating I couldn’t move my arms or limbs. Dangerous sleep apnea. Headaches every day. One day after taking this medication, I feel like it’s saved my life."

• gda...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 30, 2019

For High Blood Pressure "Started getting headaches after 3 months, then developed capillaritis over the next few months. Started on hands, went up my arms, then covered my legs. It was horrible. The dermatologist took a biopsy and ran bloodwork and has noted in my medical record that my condition was drug-induced. Thankfully, after stopping this poison, the rash went away, but it took 8 weeks to completely clear."

• Ran...
• January 24, 2018

For High Blood Pressure "I have taken 25 mg for years with no issues. My doctor recently raised it to 50 mg when my BP started creeping up. Immediately, I had issues with headache, extreme dry sinuses, dry eyes, pain in my face and teeth. Also, occasional skipped heartbeats. I have contacted my doctor and am awaiting a response, but I won't continue this dosage."

• Les...
• December 9, 2010

For Edema "I lost a lot of water weight in the first few days, but my edema did not improve. I ended up having to combine it with Lasix. The cocktail of diuretics controlled my edema, and I have not had another flare-up in a year. The combination took a few months to get it under control, but I did start to see the swelling go down within the first week or two. The negative was that I had to take Mag-Ox and potassium pills that were horrible to swallow, and the Mag-Ox gave me headaches for about the first month."

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

For High Blood Pressure "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."

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

For High Blood Pressure "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."

• Ter...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 17, 2017

For High Blood Pressure "I have been on it for a week, and my BP has only gone down a little, but I feel terrible, mild headache and tired all the time. I will call Monday and get something different. I have been taking Atenolol for years, but my BP is too high now for that alone."

• Sto...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2019

For Nephrocalcinosis "I have been taking 25 mg hydrochlorothiazide for kidney stones for 2 months, and so far I have experienced vision problems, extreme constipation (even with the 2 stool softeners a day my doctor prescribed), non-existent libido, headaches, and fatigue/weakness. Not sure if the fatigue is associated with the medication or the inability to have a regular BM. Awful medication. Will ask tomorrow for a 24-hour urine culture to see if my numbers have changed. Need to get off this medication sooner rather than later."

• Hel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 8, 2015

For Nephrocalcinosis "I was put on this to lower my chances of getting more kidney stones. I've been on this a few days now and wanted to share my experiences early on. At first, I felt no difference, but the second day I started feeling extreme dry mouth, headache, lower leg cramping, and some frequency of urination, although I drink a lot of water, 1/2 to 3/4 of a gallon a day. But from what I've read here, these are normal side effects as my body adjusts to the medication. I'm going to keep on this until I see the doctor for a recheck in a couple of weeks, and hopefully, these side effects will subside. I'm mainly staying on it too out of fear of a returning kidney stone."