Side effects on hydrochlorothiazide

[Maria__0__0]

  I have been taking hydrochlorothiazide 25mg daily now for 11 months and still
  have problems with a rash and sunlight.  I talked to my doctor about this
  and he still thinks I need this med along with the other 2 hypertension meds
  I take (tenormin and zestril).  I wear long sleeve shirts while I am out in
  the sunlight but my face still gets very itchy and red even with a hat on.  
  The rash is on my arms and alittle on my legs.  It really flares up at times
  and drives me crazy.  I take benadryl at night for the itching but is there
  another med I could try or suggest to my doc at my next appointment?  Or will
  these side effects go away with more time?  Thank you for your advice and
  suggestions.

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

Dear Maria,
There are many, many drugs that can be used for hypertension; although some
classes such as ace-inhibitors (includes zestril) have significant additional
benefits besides lowering blood pressure, no drug is so important that we should
tolerate undue or unbearable side effects such as you speak of in your post.  
Now it is very important that you figure out which drug it is, or if it is actually
a new food that you started just before the rash started.  If of course you noticed
all of these new changes (rash and itching) just after starting the hydrochlorthiazide
then it is probably related and the symptoms should go away soon after stopping the drug.
There are options for you Maria, for instance, your physician can increase the
doses of the other two medications to make up for the lack of hydrochlorthiazide
(that is only of course if those two drugs aren't already being taken at maximal dosage.)
Another option is to try a different class of diuretics to replace the one you are on.  And
if your blood pressure is still not controlled then maybe it is time to try a whole different
class of antihypetensive drug and forget about diuretics.  Of course it is a tad
more complicated than I imply as there are a few other factors regarding your history, age,
heart, and kidney conditions that come in to play when a physician decides what class of drug to
try next.
In summary Maria, there are options for you for sure and certainly it is your
right to not take a drug if you feel it is cause for concern, or simply that it
is causing a poor quality of life situation as you describe.  The sensitivity to the
sun that you speak of is not as concerning as the itching that you describe, however if they
diminish your quality of life significantly, you really should not be taking the drug.  
Keep in mind that whenever a hypertensive patient starts new drugs or different doses, the blood
pressure will need to be monitored a little more closely for the first month or so.  Good Luck.
Information provided in the heart forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only,
actual diagnosis and treatment can only be made by your physician(s).