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What is the most important information I should know about chlorothiazide?

Do not use this medication if you are unable to urinate

Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you are allergic to sulfa drugs, or if you have liver disease, kidney disease, asthma, allergies, gout, lupus, or diabetes.

Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of chlorothiazide. Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you light-headed (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). They can add to the side effects of chlorothiazide.

Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Follow your doctor's instructions about the type and amount of liquids you should drink. In some cases, drinking too much liquid can be as unsafe as not drinking enough.

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using this medication even if you feel fine. High blood pressure often has no symptoms.

What is chlorothiazide?

Chlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic (water pill) that helps prevent your body from absorbing too much salt, which can cause fluid retention.

Chlorothiazide treats fluid retention (edema) in people with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver, or kidney disorders, or edema caused by taking steroids or estrogen. This medication is also used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

Chlorothiazide may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What should I discuss with my doctor before taking chlorothiazide?

Do not use this medication if you are unable to urinate.

Before using chlorothiazide, tell your doctor if you have:

• kidney disease;
• liver disease;

• asthma or allergies;

• gout;

• lupus;

• diabetes; or

• if you are allergic to sulfa drugs.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take chlorothiazide.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment. Chlorothiazide can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.