Avoid a diet high in salt. Too much salt will cause your body to retain water and will
decrease the effects of hydrochlorothiazide.
Use caution when rising from a sitting or lying position, especially first thing in the
morning. You may become dizzy while taking hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine and you may
fall and injure yourself if you get up quickly.
Do not let yourself become overheated in hot weather or during exercise. Also avoid
standing for long periods of time and use caution if you have a fever. These situations increase
the effects of hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine, and you may become very dizzy.
Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Hydrochlorothiazide may increase the
sensitivity of your skin to sunlight. Use a sunscreen and wear protective clothing when exposure
to the sun is unavoidable.
Avoid alcohol. It will greatly increase the effects of hydrochlorothiazide and
reserpine.
Do not take any over the counter cough, cold, allergy, sleep, or diet medications without
first asking your doctor or pharmacist. These will interfere with your hydrochlorothiazide and
reserpine therapy.
Use caution when you are driving, climbing ladders, or performing other hazardous
activities until you know how hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine affects you. If it makes you
dizzy or drowsy, avoid these activities.
Tell your doctor and dentist that you are taking this medication before having surgery.
Do not take hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine if you are taking a monoamine oxidase
inhibitor (MAOI), or if you have taken one in the last 14 days. MAOIs, used to treat depression,
include isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), and tranylcypromine (Parnate).
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following
medicines:
-
tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Endep)
or doxepin (Sinequan), which may decrease the effects of hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine;
-
other commonly used tricyclic antidepressants,
including amoxapine (Ascendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin),
imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and protriptyline (Vivactil);
-
digoxin (Lanoxin) or quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinidex,
Quinora, Quinaglute), which will increase the risk that you will experience an irregular
heartbeat when it is taken with hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine;
-
barbiturates such as phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton),
amobarbital (Amytal), and secobarbital (Seconal), which may cause extreme sleepiness or
dizziness if taken with hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine;
-
narcotic pain relievers such as codeine (Tylenol #3, Tylenol
#4, others), propoxyphene (Darvon, Darvocet, Wygesic), oxycodone (Percodan, Percocet,
Tylox), meperidine (Demerol), and morphine (MS Contin, Duramorph, others), which also may
cause extreme sleepiness or dizziness if taken with hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine;
-
steroid medications such as hydrocortisone (Hydrocortone,
Cortef), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), prednisolone (Delta Cortef, Prelone),
methylprednisolone (Medrol), betamethasone (Celestone), and dexamethasone (Decadron,
Hexadrol), which may increase the side effects of hydrochlorothiazide;
-
prescription and over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, diet,
and sleeping pills, which may affect your condition or your treatment with hydrochlorothiazide
and reserpine;
-
the cholesterol-lowering drugs cholestyramine (Questran)
and colestipol (Colestid), which may decrease the effects of hydrochlorothiazide;
-
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such
as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), ketoprofen (Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail), and naproxen (Naprosyn,
Anaprox, Aleve), which may also decrease the effects of hydrochlorothiazide and may increase
the risk of damage to your kidneys (tell your doctor if you are taking these medications so that
your therapy can be monitored);
-
other commonly used NSAIDs, including diclofenac
(Cataflam, Voltaren), etodolac (Lodine), fenoprofen (Nalfon), flurbiprofen (Ansaid),
indomethacin (Indocin), ketorolac (Toradol), mefenamic acid (Ponstel), nabumetone (Relafen),
oxaprozin (Daypro), piroxicam (Feldene), sulindac (Clinoril), and tolmetin (Tolectin);
-
oral antidiabetic drugs such as glipizide (Glucotrol),
glyburide (Micronase, Glynase, Diabeta), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), tolazamide (Tolinase),
and tolbutamide (Orinase), which may not lower your blood sugar as well (your diabetes
therapy may have to be adjusted);
-
lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith, others), which should not be
taken with hydrochlorothiazide because serious side effects may result; or
-
other drugs that also lower blood pressure, including
acebutolol (Sectral), atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta), carteolol (Cartrol), labetolol
(Trandate, Normodyne), propranolol (Inderal), pindolol (Visken), timolol (Blocadren),
benazepril (Lotensin), enalapril (Vasotec), captopril (Capoten), fosinopril (Monopril), lisinopril
(Prinivil, Zestril), moexipril (Univasc), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), amlodipine
(Norvasc), bepridil (Vascor), diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor), felodipine (Plendil), isradipine
(Dynacirc), nicardipine (Cardene), nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia), nimodipine (Nimotop), and
verapamil (Calan, Veralan, Isoptin).
Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with
hydrochlorothiazide and reserpine or affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist
before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines.
