Answer:
Dear
ANGELA,
Take
hydrochlorothiazide by mouth with or without food, usually
once daily.
The dosage
is based on your medical condition and response to therapy.
It is
best to avoid taking this medication within 4 hours of your bedtime
to avoid having to get up to urinate.
Cholestyramine
and colestipol can decrease the absorption of hydrochlorothiazide.
Patients
allergic to sulfa may also be
allergic to hydrochlorothiazide because of a similarity in the
chemical
structure of the medications.
Hydrochlorothiazide
can aggravate kidney dysfunction, and is used with caution in patients
with kidney disease.
Hydrochlorothiazide can cause lowering of blood potassium, sodium,
and magnesium levels.
Potassium
supplementation is common during hydrochlorothiazide treatment.
Blood
uric acid levels can increase during hydrochlorothiazide treatment,
but precipitation of acute gout is rare.
Hydrochlorothiazide
reduces the kidney excretion of lithium and can lead to lithium toxicity.
Blood
sugar levels can be elevated, necessitating adjustment in the doses
of oral diabetic
medications and insulin.
Periodic
blood tests are performed to monitor kidney function and electrolytes
during treatment with hydrochlorothiazide.
Safe use in children has not been established
Hydrochlorothiazide should not be used with the following medications
because very serious interactions may occur:
Cisapride,
dofetilide., cholestyramine, colestipol, corticosteroids (e.g., prednisone),
diazoxide, digoxin, lithium, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(e.g., ibuprofen, indomethacin).
Check
the labels on all your medicines (e.g., cough-and-cold products, diet
aids)
because they may contain ingredients that could increase your blood
pressure.
Some medicines may interact with Metoprolol Tartrate , especially
any of the following:
Barbiturates (eg, phenobarbital), indomethacin, or phenylpropanolamine
because they may decrease Metoprolol Tartrate 's effectiveness ,amiodarone,
cimetidine, digoxin, disopyramide, flecainide, hormonal contraceptives
(eg, birth control pills), hydralazine, ketanserin, mefloquine, mibefradil,
quinazolines (eg, imatinib), quinidine, thiamines (eg, propylthiouracil),
and verapamil because serious side effects, such as very slow heart
rate and very low blood pressure, may occur
Taking
bupivacaine, disopyramide, flecainide, hydralazine, ketanserin, or
lidocaine the risk of their side effects may be increased by Metoprolol
Tartrate
This
may not be a complete list of all interactions that may occur.
Metoprolol tartrate (Lopressor) should be taken with food or
immediately after you have eaten.
Try not to miss any doses. If this medication is not taken regularly,
your condition may worsen.
--If you miss a dose...
If it is within 4 hours of your next dose, skip the one you missed
and go back to your regular schedule.
Never take 2 doses at the same time.
Consumption
of certain foods may affect levothyroxine absorption thereby
necessitating adjustments in dosing.
Soybean
flour (infant formula), cotton seed meal, walnuts, and dietary fiber
may bind and decrease the absorption of levothyroxine sodium from
the GI tract.
The following
drugs may cause medical problems if you use them with levothyroxine:
lithium, amiodarone, or antidepressants.
Certain
medicines can be continued, but they may make levothyroxine less effective
if taken at the same time. If you use any of the following drugs,
use them at least 4 hours before or 4 hours after you take levothyroxine:
calcium carbonate (Caltrate, Citracal, Oystercal, and others);
ferrous sulfate iron supplement; sucralfate (Carafate); sodium
polystyrene sulfonate (Kayexalate, Kionex, and others);
antacids that contain aluminum (Amphojel, Gaviscon, Maalox, Mylanta,
Riopan, Rulox, Tums, and others); and cholesterol-lowering drugs cholestyramine
(Questran) and colestipol (Colestid).
Simultaneous ingestion of some calcium formulations with levothyroxine
has been reported to reduce the effectiveness of levothyroxine. For
example, 1,200 mg per day of calcium as calcium carbonate, taken along
with levothyroxine, significantly reduced absorption of the thyroid
hormone. Iron supplements may decrease absorption of thyroid
hormone medications.
It is very important to take levothyroxine with a full glass (8 ounces)
of water. The levothyroxine tablet can dissolve very quickly and swell
in the throat, possibly causing choking or gagging. Take this medicine
on an empty stomach, 30 minutes before eating. Levothyroxine is usually
taken in the morning.
Drugs that can interact with Prevacid are the following drugs:
atazanavir (Reyataz), theophylline (such as Elixophyllin, Respbid,
Slo-Bid, Theobid, Theoclear, Theo-Dur, Uniphyl); digoxin (Lanoxin,
Lanoxicaps); ampicillin (Omnipen, Principen); ketoconazole (Nizoral);
iron (Feosol, Mol-Iron, Fergon, Femiron, others); or a blood
thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin).
This
list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact
with Prevacid
Try these helpful products which may be beneficial if taken with this
medicine
prevacid (Lansoprazole):
Beta-carotene
To avoid possible depletion of beta-carotene, eat more dark green
and orange-yellow vegetables and consider supplementing with 25,000
IU per day
Vitamin
B12 and folic acid
To avoid
depleting these nutrients, which might lead to anemia and high homocysteine
blood levels, take 1,000 mcg of vitamin B12 and 400 mcg of folate
daily
Cranberry
juice
Drinking
cranberry juice may help prevent vitamin B12 deficiency as it increases
the body's ability to absorb this nutrient from food in people taking
this medicine
Take each dose with a full glass (8 ounces) of water. Prevacid
should be taken before eating. Do not crush or open a delayed-release
capsule. Swallow the pill whole. It is specially made to release medicine
slowly in the body. Breaking or opening the pill would cause too much
of the drug to be released at one time.
If you are unable to swallow a delayed-release capsule whole: Open
the capsule and sprinkle the medicine into a spoonful of pudding,
applesauce, yogurt, cottage cheese, strained pears, or a nutritional
drink such as Ensure. Swallow this mixture right away without chewing.
Do not save the mixture for later use. Discard the empty capsule.
