hydrochlorothiazide and diabetes

Back in 2006 my husband's physician added a  water pill

 hydrochlorothiazide to his blood pressure medication

(lisinopril) and about four months later, his blood sugar tested high.  His doctor sent him to have a  two hour glucose tolerence test which turned out okay.  The next year when he had a blood test, his blood sugar tested

high again and this year it was in the diabetes range

so the doctor told my husband that he had diabetes

and said it could be controlled with diet at this point. 

Later I happened to read online that hydrochlorathiazide

raises blood sugar levels and can actually cause diabetes.

Would appreciate any input.  Thank you

Wiggyann

Wow. I didn't know lisinopril can cause high blood sugar. Going to have to ask my doctor about it. I've been taking lisinopril for years and now that I look back on it, my onset of diabetes appears to coincide with when I started taking lisinopril.

Right, it's the hydrocholorthiazide that raises blood sugar. 

Dear Jeannie,

I think in your situation, I would take the hydrodiuril

too, instead of suffering with the kidney stones.

However, I wish my husband's physician would  give him the plain lisinopril and stop adding the hydrochlorothiazide

since it has raised his blood sugar up to the diabetes

level in several years.  His blood sugar was normal

before he added the hydrochlorothiazide.

Thank you for posting 

Wiggyann   

 

Hi Jeannie,

There is a cardiologist on allexperts.com whose son is an endroctrinologist.  I asked him a question about my husband's blood sugar going up when his doctor added the water pill to his blood pressure medication.  He did tell me that that the thiazide diuretics will raise blood sugar and he suggested asking the doctor to stop adding the water pill to the lisinopril and see if his blood sugar returned to normal.  My husband's blood pressure is low when he takes it at home, but as soon as they put the band on his arm in the doctor's office, he told me that he can actually feel it going up.  I think they call what he has white coat syndrome.  He has been this way for years.  His blood pressure is always high when he has it taken at the doctor's office.  His  doctor had him on two different blood pressure medications and then added a water pill.  I know my husband would like to leave out the water pill for awhile and see if his blood sugar goes back to normal.  But when he phoned and talked to

the nurse about it, she told him that the diuretic could not cause his blood sugar to go up.  She wanted to make him an appointment to have more blood tests done and

this upset my husband because he had just had

blood tests done a few weeks before and he told her

to just forget it.  so, it  ended up being a source of contention between my husband and the nurse.    

Thank you,

Wiggyann  

 

Good idea, Lanie! I do this myself. I got a cuff and stethescope on eBay for about $15.00 and it works well.

Thanks so much, Lainie, Jeannie and Tutorgirl :-)

I so appreciate your help and suggestions plus 

It's nice to find out that there are others whose

blood pressure goes up in the doctor's office.

I think my husband has always felt bad about

 having this problem.

Wiggyann

 

JUDY,

THANKS FOR THE VERY GOOD TIP I noticed that you are a co-moderator for the thyroid forum too. My husband
also takes levothyroxine for his thyroid. His thyroid
tested hypo on a blood test and this same doctor started
him on 100 mcg of levothyroxine. He specifically wanted
him to take the synthroid, but our insurance would not pay for it. My husband's sister tested for hypothyroid around the same time at her doctor's but he only put her on 75 mcg
of levothyroxine and her thyroid went back into the normal
range. My husbands went into the hyper range in six months time and when I phoned and mentioned
to his one of his helpers that I thought my husband needed a lesser dose of levothyroxine. I didn't get anywhere.
This doctor does give a lot of medication. One lady I talked
to told me that when she started going to him, she was taking two perscriptions and now she is taking twelve.
My husband has been thinking of changing doctors.

Thanks again,
Wiggyann

Many Thanks, Judy

I really appreicate your advice.

Wiggyann

  

   Hello,

   So glad I found this website. It so happens I just returned from my yearly physical. Been taking Atenolol and hydrothorthiazide 25 mg for 2 years. Well I had read that it could raise sugar levels. For the last few years my sugar has been creeping up, norm is 100. Well it was 101, then 104, and when I got tests back this week it was 105. I told my doctor I want to stop taking it, as it was a side effect, I never had trouble before. She said she didnt think it was medicine, but I could stop taking if I want. Now I am worried my sugar wont go down, am going back in 6 months, maybe before, my trigycerides were a little high also and I am wondering if could be from that. I hope I helped you out, I would get off this med ASAP. I will post whether or not my levels went down. Thanks again, your post confirmed to me what I already thought was happening.

Noelle

 

   Thank you so much for your info, and yes, I did mean hydrochlorothiazide. It starting rising the first year I started taking it, but it could also be my eating habits,

I am going to see a nutritionist and keep working out and see if that brings it down. I will also ask pharmacist about

how long it takes  before it is out of my system.

I will post my results!!

    Thanks again,

    Noelle

Hello Wiggyann,

Thank you for responding, I stopped taking the med, now I am searching for a natural diuretic. I am also researching Atenolol, the BPM I am taking, dont like what I am reading about it. Can raise triglycerides and mine were a little elevated. Did your husband stop taking med?


Wishing you all the best as well,

Noelle

Hi Crystal and welcome! Some medications including BP meds containing hydrochlorothiazide affect blood sugar. Here is a page from WebMD about this: https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-5310/hydrochlorothiazide-oral/details. I was on this many years ago before I was diagnosed with diabetes and it depleted my potassium so you have to be careful about this. Any drug with HCTZ after its name has this. HCTZ is known as a water pill in that it helps stop the body from retaining water, too.

In any case, I don't know the answer to your questions about how much it increases blood sugar and how long the blood sugar takes to go down to normal after stopping that medication.

If it were me, I would ask the doctor why you were prescribed that particular medication and ask for a different one. There are several reasons for prescribing BP meds (heart, kidney, edema, etc.) so you are asking to find out why.

about the A1c, I hope that a fasting blood sugar is also included in your routine blood work. Besides the A1c (which is not a diagnosis.) a fasting and a random (non-fasting) test would be good to see what's going on. The only blood test that diagnoses diabetes is the GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test).

There can be several reasons for elevated A1c tests, so pursue these different ways I described and see if the doctor can prescribe another one. Keep us updated and good luck!