Diuretics : Part 2

by Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

(Page 2 of 2)

The symptoms of an increase in potassium are dry mouth, increased thirst, irregular heartbeat, mood or mental changes, muscle cramps or pain, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, unusual tiredness or weakness, a weak pulse, and numbness or tingling in hands, feet or lips. If any of these occurs, check with your doctor as soon as possible.

If you are already on a special diet, as for diabetes, tell your doctor. Hydrochlorothiazide can raise your blood sugar.

This medicine also may cause increased sensitivity to sunlight in a few people. Exposure to sunlight, even for brief periods, may cause severe sunburn, skin rash, redness, itching, discoloration of skin, or change in vision. If you notice an increased sensitivity to sunlight while taking this medicine, it's wise to take precautions to reduce your exposure to direct sunlight. If you have a severe reaction from the sun, discuss it with your doctor.

If a pregnant woman takes hydrochlorothiazide, there is a slight chance her newborn infant may have low potassium. For this reason, it is usually not prescribed during pregnancy. The drug has not been shown to cause birth defects.

Rarely, these diuretics may cause a number of other side effects. Check with your doctor as soon as possible if you have any of the following:

• black, tarry stools
• blood in urine or stools
• cough or hoarseness
• fever or chills
• joint pain
• lower back pain, side pain, or joint pain
• painful or difficult urination
• pinpoint-size red spots on skin
• skin rash or hives
• severe stomach pain with nausea and vomiting
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• yellow eyes or skin

In addition, on rare occasions triamterene may cause a bright red tongue, a burning feeling in the tongue, and cracked corners of the mouth. Check with your doctor as soon as possible if these occur.

As your body adjusts to this medicine, other side effects may occur, but they usually do not require medical attention unless they continue or are bothersome. The most common are loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea, and upset stomach. Less common are decreased sexual ability, dizziness or lightheadedness when getting up from lying down or sitting, and headache.

Spironolactone sometimes causes breast tenderness in women, enlarged breasts in men, clumsiness, deepening of voice in females, increased hair growth in females, irregular menstrual periods, and sweating. These conditions gradually disappear over two or three months after the medicine is stopped.

Amiloride sometimes causes constipation.

Other rarer side effects not listed here may occur in a few people. If you have any new symptoms while taking this medication, check with your doctor.

Before Using This Medicine

Tell your doctor:

If you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to amiloride, spironolactone, triamterene, sulfonamides, bumetanide, furosemide, acetazolamide, dichlorphenamide, methazolamide, hydrochlorothiazide, or any of the other thiazide diuretics

If you are on a special diet, such as low-sodium. This could affect how the drug works in your body.

If you are allergic to any substance, such as foods, sulfites or other preservatives, or dyes. These diuretics, like most other medicine that comes in pill form, contain preservatives and dyes that may cause an allergic reaction in some people.

If you are pregnant or may become pregnant. In general, diuretics should not be taken during pregnancy unless recommended by the doctor.

If you are breast-feeding. Although spironolactone, triamterene and hydrochlorothiazide may pass into breast milk, they have not been shown to cause problems in nursing babies. It is not known whether amiloride passes into breast milk.

If you have any of the following medical problems: sugar diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, menstrual problems or breast enlargement, inflammation of the pancreas, or a history of gout, kidney stones, or lupus erythematosus.

Precautions and Warnings

If you get sick and have severe or continuing vomiting or diarrhea while taking this medicine, check with your doctor. These problems may cause you to lose additional water and potassium and lead to low blood pressure.

Before having any kind of surgery (including dental surgery) or emergency treatment, inform the doctor or dentist that you are taking this medicine.

Before taking any medical tests, tell the doctor you are taking this drug. It may affect the test results.

If you are taking this medicine for high blood pressure, do not take any other medicine unless your have discussed it with your doctor. This includes nonprescription drugs — particularly those for appetite control, asthma, colds, cough, hay fever, or sinus problems — some of which contain ingredients that may increase your blood pressure.

If you are taking triamterene and hydrochlorothiazide, do not change brands without first checking with your doctor. If you refill your medicine and it looks different, check with your pharmacist.

About the Author

www.fda.gov
FDA is A United States government body that oversees medical devices, including contact lenses, intraocular lenses, excimer lasers and eyedrops. In the US, these products must be approved by the FDA before they can be marketed.