✅ Generic Name:
Hydrochlorothiazide Tablet 25 mg (abbreviated as HCTZ)
✅ Prescription Status:
Prescription-only medicine (Rx) – Must be prescribed and monitored by a healthcare professional.
📄 Description:
Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg is a thiazide diuretic (“water pill”) used to manage high blood pressure and edema (fluid retention). It helps lower blood pressure by reducing excess fluid and sodium through increased urination.
Each tablet contains 25 mg of Hydrochlorothiazide as the active ingredient.
🌿 Nature / Class:
- Pharmacologic class: Thiazide diuretic
- Therapeutic class: Antihypertensive, Diuretic
- Mechanism of action: Inhibits sodium reabsorption in the distal tubules of the kidney, increasing excretion of sodium, water, potassium, and chloride → lowers blood volume and blood pressure
🎯 Purpose / Indications:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Edema due to:
- Congestive heart failure
- Liver cirrhosis
- Renal disorders (e.g., nephrotic syndrome)
- Prevention of calcium-containing kidney stones
- Adjunct treatment in diabetes insipidus (off-label)
✅ Advantages:
- Effective in lowering blood pressure and reducing edema
- Enhances the effect of other antihypertensive medications
- Lowers cardiovascular risk when used for hypertension
- Simple once-daily dosing
📦 Common Packaging:
- Blister packs or HDPE bottles
- Usually available as:
- 10 tablets per strip
- Boxes of 30, 50, or 100 tablets
- Tablets are typically white, round, and scored (may vary by brand)
❄️ Storage Conditions:
- Store at 15–30°C (59–86°F)
- Protect from moisture and direct sunlight
- Keep in original packaging
- Keep out of reach of children
👨⚕️ Patient Advice / Precautions:
- Take in the morning to avoid nighttime urination
- May be taken with or after food
- Drink adequate fluids unless advised otherwise
- Do not skip potassium-rich foods unless told to restrict potassium
- Common side effects may include:
- Increased urination
- Dizziness, especially when standing up quickly
- Low potassium (hypokalemia) – may need potassium supplements
- Muscle cramps, fatigue, dry mouth
- May increase blood sugar and uric acid (monitor in diabetics and gout patients)
- Regular monitoring of:
- Blood pressure
- Electrolytes (especially potassium, sodium)
- Kidney function (creatinine, BUN)
- Avoid alcohol and stand up slowly to prevent lightheadedness
- Caution in elderly patients and those with kidney/liver conditions
- Not recommended during pregnancy unless absolutely necessary