Drug Notes

Moexipril/hydrochlorothiazide (By mouth)

Hydrochlorothiazide (hye-droe-klor-oh-THYE-a-zide), Moexipril Hydrochloride (moe-EX-i-pril hye-droe-KLOR-ide)

Treats high blood pressure. A lower blood pressure can reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack. This medicine is a combination of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and a diuretic (water pill).

Brand Name(s):

Uniretic

When This Medicine Should Not Be Used:

How to Use This Medicine:

Tablet

• Take your medicine as directed. Your dose may need to be changed several times to find what works best for you.
• It is best to take this medicine on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before meals.
• Carefully follow your doctor's instructions about any special diet. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids if you exercise, sweat more than usual, or have diarrhea or vomiting.

If a dose is missed:

• Take a dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then and take a regular dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.

How to Store and Dispose of This Medicine:

• Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
• Ask your pharmacist, doctor, or health caregiver about the best way to dispose of any outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
• Keep all medicine out of the reach of children. Never share your medicine with anyone.

Drugs and Foods to Avoid:

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

• Make sure your doctor knows if you use aliskiren (Tekturna®), lithium (Eskalith®, Lithobid®), gold injections (such as sodium aurothiomalate), or a diuretic or water pill (such as amiloride, furosemide, spironolactone, triamterene, Aldactone®, Lasix®). Your doctor will need to know if you use insulin or a diabetes medicine that you take by mouth (such as glimepiride, glyburide, metformin, Actos®, Janumet®, Januvia®) or a steroid medicine (such as dexamethasone, hydrocortisone, methylprednisolone, prednisolone, prednisone, Medrol®).
• Tell your doctor if you use allopurinol (Purinol®, Zyloprim®), guanabenz (Wytensin®), norepinephrine, propantheline (Pro-Banthine®), tetracycline (Sumycin®), tubocurarine, medicine to lower your cholesterol (such as cholestyramine, colestipol, Colestid®, Questran®), or an NSAID pain or arthritis medicine (such as aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil®, Aleve®, Celebrex®, Voltaren®).
• Ask your doctor before you use medicines, supplements, or salt substitutes that contain potassium.
• Alcohol, narcotic pain relievers, or sleeping pills may cause you to feel more lightheaded, dizzy, or faint when used with this medicine. Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol or use pain relievers or sleeping pills.

Warnings While Using This Medicine:

• It is not safe to take this medicine during pregnancy. It could harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant.
• Make sure your doctor knows if you are breastfeeding or if you have kidney problems, liver disease, congestive heart failure, body swelling, heart or blood vessel disease, low blood pressure, low blood volume, high cholesterol, or mineral imbalance (such as high or low calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium in the blood). Tell your doctor if you have diabetes, glaucoma, gout, lupus, a collagen-vascular disease (such as scleroderma), or a history of asthma.
• Call your doctor right away if you have severe stomach pain (with or without nausea or vomiting). This could be a symptom of intestinal angioedema.
• This medicine could lower your blood pressure too much and cause you to feel dizzy or lightheaded. Stand or sit up slowly if you are dizzy. This is more likely to happen when you begin to use the medicine. It could also happen if you have diarrhea or vomiting, you sweat heavily, or you do not drink enough water and become dehydrated. If you faint, stop using this medicine and call your doctor right away.
• This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.
• Check with your doctor right away if you have upper stomach pain, pale stools, dark urine, loss of appetite, nausea, unusual tiredness, or yellow eyes or skin. These could be symptoms of a serious liver problem.
• Check with your doctor if you have a fever, chills, or sore throat. These could be symptoms of an infection resulting from low white blood cell counts.
• Tell any doctor or dentist who treats you that you are using this medicine. You may need to stop using this medicine several days before you have surgery or medical tests.
• Check with your doctor immediately if you have blurred vision, difficulty in reading, eye pain, or any other change in vision while taking this medicine.
• Your doctor will do lab tests at regular visits to check on the effects of this medicine. Keep all appointments.
• This medicine may be less effective in black patients. Black patients also have an increased risk of swelling of the hands, arms, face, mouth, or throat.
• Do not stop using the medicine without asking your doctor, even if you feel well. This medicine will not cure your high blood pressure, but it will help keep it in normal range. You may have to take blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life.

Possible Side Effects While Using This Medicine:

Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:

• Allergic reaction: Itching or hives, swelling in your face or hands, swelling or tingling in your mouth or throat, chest tightness, trouble breathing
• Changes in vision
• Change in how much or how often you urinate, problems urinating
• Confusion, weakness, uneven heartbeat, trouble breathing, numbness or tingling in your hands, feet, or lips
• Dark-colored urine or pale stools, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, or pain in your upper stomach, yellow skin or eyes
• Dry mouth, increased thirst, or muscle cramps
• Fever, chills, sore throat
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting
• Rapid weight gain, swelling in your face, tongue, hands, ankles, or feet
• Severe stomach pain (with or without nausea)
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:

• Dry cough

If you notice other side effects that you think are caused by this medicine, tell your doctor

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088

Last Updated: 1/27/2017