Hypothiazid (Hyzaar)

Pharmaceutical name: Hydrochlorothiazide / Losartan

Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic (water pill) that helps prevent your body from absorbing too much salt, which can cause fluid retention. Losartan is in a group of drugs called angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Losartan keeps blood vessels from narrowing, which lowers blood pressure improves blood flow.
The combination of hydrochlorothiazide and losartan is used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and to reduce the risk of stroke in people with hypertension.

Therapeutic actions:
Hypothiazid is a combination angiotensin II receptor blocker and diuretic. The angiotensin II receptor blocker works by relaxing the blood vessels. Exactly how the diuretic works to decrease blood pressure is unknown, but it helps the kidneys to eliminate fluid and sodium from the body.

What is it used for?:

HYPOTHIAZID is indicated for the treatment of hypertension. This fixed dose combination is not indicated for initial therapy of hypertension, except when the hypertension is severe enough that the value of achieving prompt blood pressure control exceeds the risk of initiating combination therapy in these patients.

Contraindications and cautions:
- kidney disease;
- liver disease;
- congestive heart failure;
- asthma or allergies;
- low or high levels of potassium in your blood;
- gout;
- lupus;
- diabetes; or
- an allergy to sulfa drugs.

Interactions:
- the risk of irregular heartbeat may be increased by dofetilide or ketanserin;
- the risk of Hypothiazid 's side effects may be increased by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), barbiturates (eg, phenobarbital), corticosteroids (eg, prednisone), diuretics (eg, furosemide), narcotic pain medicines (eg, morphine), or other medicines for high blood pressure;
- Hypothiazid 's effectiveness may be decreased by cholestyramine, colestipol, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) (eg, ibuprofen, celecoxib);
- Hypothiazid may increase the risk of side effects and toxic effects of diazoxide, digoxin, lithium, nondepolarizing muscle relaxants (eg, tubocurarine), potassium, or potassium-sparing diuretics (eg, spironolactone)
- Hypothiazid may decrease effectiveness of diabetes medicine (eg, glipizide, metformin), insulin, or pressor amines (eg, norepinephrine).