I have been taking Norvasc 10mg for the last couple of months or so. It lowered my BP but not quite enough. Today the doctor prescribed HCTZ in addition to the Norvasc. Does this sound right? Do I need to worry about potassium or not. I haven't picked up the perscription yet but I think the HCTZ is 25mg.
I was on norvasc for eight months and took 25 mg HCTZ with it. My potassium levels got very low and I had to take a prescription strength potassium supplement. My symptoms were weakness in legs and heart palpitations. My Dr. didn't warn me ahead of time and I didn't know that I needed to increase my potassium. I'm now on a very low dose of HCTZ only 6.25 mg I know longer need the supplement, but I make sure that I eat plenty of potassium rich foods everyday. Good sources are bananas, potatoes, orange juice, spinach, tomatoes, milk and yogurt.
HCTZ is a very common med to add for high BP. Many meds come in a version with and without HCTZ. I can't take it because I'm allergic to sulfa, but it's cheap and effective. I'd talk to your Dr. about what blood tests should be done and other things to watch for.
Keep track of your weight, I was on Benicar HCTZ & gained a lot, probably due to the HCTZ but I'm not positive (didnt help that the Benicar made my joints & muscles hurt, made my workouts hell)
I am taking the med lotrel 10/20. I am a 33 year old female I have no side effects what so ever with this med. I have been checking my bp it has been around 120/80 or 85 sometime's lower depending on the day I've had.it can get up in the 90's sometime's. I tryed norvac it didn't really bring my bp down much..shayne....
Thanks for the responses. The HCTZ was 25mg (once a day). I am continuing to take the Norvasc. I have just taken my 3rd HCTZ pill. So far, I haven't seen any change in my BP since adding the HCTZ. Should the results with HCTZ be pretty much immediate???
Thiazides show dramatic drops in BP IF you are somewhat edematous from high sodium intake. If you are at dry weight, you will see very little change in either.
I like this aspect of HCTZ that seems to work better when you need it to!
I think Norvasc tends to treat the salt sensistive more than most classes of BP meds (Pal can correct me on that one) so the thiazide addition might have aspects of "carrying coals to Newcastle" to it.
In any case, since 25 mg is a small dose, the effect won't be huge.
pal7778 - not sure why HCTZ caused weight gain, & it doesnt in everyone
I would think a diuretic would cause some limited weight loss, but after looking back at the data & when my meds were changed, thats probably it - when I was first put on the benicar, the weight gain wasnt much, I had a hernia at the time & wasnt working out, later my doc added HCTZ & i started gaining more weight, I was working out by then, then he upped the dose of both & I really gained weight
I got up to 270 lb & felt like crap so i quit taking the meds, I lost 25 lb in about 6 weeks, using the same workout schedule I was while gaining the weight
I have been on HCTZ and can attest to the fact that it does indeed cause weight gain. In fact, I never had a weight problem until I was put on BP meds.
I am on Diovan, Metoprolol, Inspra & Lasix. I have been trying to lose weight for a few months now and it seems as though I just can't take it off. It's getting really frustrating. The doctors tell us to lose weight then put us on meds that make you keep the weight on.
I did my own experiment a few weeks ago and I am convinced that Lasix raises your cholesterol. 2 weeks before I knew I was going for Lab work I stopped taking it. My cholesterol went from 229 to 187. I wish my weight would do the same thing.
I'm now thinking of stopping my medication for two weeks to see if I lose any weight. If I do then I'll know it was the medication.
Last edited by dianne12315; 02-22-2005 at 09:26 AM.
My cholesterol went up after being put on BP meds - I went on a no meat diet for a while & it even went up then, another case where diet & exercise didnt make any difference for me
I just got a list of all my prescritions from the pharmacy to try to make some sense out of everything, & i was on benicar a lot longer than i thought, when the weight gain started was definitely when the HCTZ was added - first he added the HCTZ & about a month later he doubled the dose of both
I am on Diovan, Metoprolol, Inspra & Lasix. I have been trying to lose weight for a few months now and it seems as though I just can't take it off. It's getting really frustrating. The doctors tell us to lose weight then put us on meds that make you keep the weight on.
I did my own experiment a few weeks ago and I am convinced that Lasix raises your cholesterol. 2 weeks before I knew I was going for Lab work I stopped taking it. My cholesterol went from 229 to 187. I wish my weight would do the same thing.
I'm now thinking of stopping my medication for two weeks to see if I lose any weight. If I do then I'll know it was the medication.
Dianne, i so agree with you. It really is frustrating to be told to lose weight and then get a prescription that causing weight gain. I was losing so nicely and then i was given norvasc 5mg, i noticed a ten pound weight gain in less than ten days. Then when i complained my cardio's only reply was 'you really need the med'. Thank goodness my gp listened to me and took me off norvasc due to severe back pain. I had been walking at least 3 miles(winter included) while on norvasc i couldn't walk 200 ft.
Also i noticed a cholesterol problem when i started on the diuretics as well. My cardio took me off lasxi and added torsemide. It is something like lasix but much stronger. In the p/i it stated torsemide could increase glucose and cholesterol. i want off this med asap. All these bp meds and i still cant get and sustain a decent bp reading.
Yes, I think all BP meds cause weight gain. The way I see it, maintaining high blood pressure takes extra energy 24/7 for the heart to pump all the harder. I'll bet at least something in the ballpark of 100 calories a day is involved and thats 36,500 calories a year or 10 pounds of blubber unless food is cut back to make up the difference.
I've consistently found it to be true for myself.
(Beta blockers were the worst offenders.)
I haven't gained any weight with my meds. I didn't gain any weight with any bp meds I've tried. On Toprol XL I had such bad side effects that I lost 5 pounds in one week because I couldn't eat anything without my bp spiking.
Thanks for the responses and I agree that the bp medications make some of us gain weight. I never had a problem losing the weight before I was put on the medication and it seems as though since I was put on it I can't seem to lose it.
I am on Diovan 80mg, Lopressor 50mg (2x a day) and Inspra. For the past few days I've been feeling very tired, dizzy, and weak. I stopped the medication on Wednesday and I finally couldn't stand it anymore so I called the doctor yesterday. Without my medication my bp was 100/65 so now he says it's too low. I'd hate to see what it might have been if I had taken the medication for the past two days. He also said I was dehydrated.
I feel that the Lasix and other diuretics raise the cholesterol levels. I did an experiment as I mentioned in a previous post and when I showed it to the doctor he said it was "coincidence." There are no facts to base it upon. It seems awful funny that anyone who is on a diuretic also has high cholesterol.
If you do a web search on diuretics and look at side effects, some of them mention cholesterol increases. Your doctor was wrong.
Your bp of 100/65 is not too low if it is not causing you problems. Do you feel weak and dizzy with that bp?
Diuretics cause your body to get rid of water. So dehydration is a possibility if you take them and don't drink enough. If you stop the diuretic and rehydrate yourself you hopefully will find the weakness and dizziness will go away. Wonder what your bp would be if you got yourself rehydrated?
Re: Med Question 
Dianne, i so agree with you. It really is frustrating to be told to lose weight and then get a prescription that causing weight gain. I was losing so nicely and then i was given norvasc 5mg, i noticed a ten pound weight gain in less than ten days. 
Then when i complained my cardio's only reply was 'you really need the med'. Thank goodness my gp listened to me and took me off norvasc due to severe back pain. I had been walking at least 3 miles(winter included) while on norvasc i couldn't walk 200 ft.
