Fosinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide

Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure. It is a single product containing 2 medications: fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide. Fosinopril belongs to a group of drugs called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. Fosinopril works by blocking the ACE enzyme, which helps blood vessels to relax and lowers blood pressure. Hydrochlorothiazide belongs to a group of drugs called thiazide diuretics, which work by stopping reabsorption of salt into your body. This prevents fluid from building up in the body.

This medication comes in tablet form and is typically given once daily with or without food.

Common side effects of fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide include headache, cough, and upper respiratory infections. 

Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide can also cause tiredness (fatigue) and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide affects you.

Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. 

Fosinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Monopril HCT

Serious side effects have been reported with fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide. See the "Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide Precautions" section. 

Common side effects of fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide include the following:

• headache
• cough
• tiredness (fatigue)
• dizziness
• an infection that affects the nose, throat, and airways (upper respiratory infection)
• muscle pain

This is not a complete list of fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. 

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

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

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you are taking:

• potassium supplements or potassium-containing salt substitutes
• potassium ­sparing diuretics such as spironolactone (Aldactone), triamterene (Dyrenium), and amiloride (Midamor)
• lithium (Lithobid)
• antacids
• injectable gold (sodium aurothiomalate)
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as naproxen (Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil)
• cholestyramine (Questran) and colestipol (Colestid)

• certain medications that also lower blood pressure such as angiotensin-­converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors like enalapril (Vasotec, Vaseretic) and angiotensin receptor II blockers (ARBs) like valsartan (Diovan)
• aliskiren (Tekturna)
• norepinephrine (Levophed)

This is not a complete list of fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. 

Serious side effects have been reported with fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide or its ingredients including the following:

• Allergic reactions. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
  • swelling of the face, limbs, lips, tongue, throat
  • difficulty breathing
  • stomach (abdominal) pain (intestinal angioedema) with or without nausea or vomiting
• Low blood pressure. Tell your healthcare provider if you continue to experience light headedness. 
• Lowered white blood cell count (neutropenia) increasing the risk of infections
• Harm to an unborn baby (fetal toxicity). Do not take fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide if you are pregnant or will become pregnant.
• Liver damage.
• An autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue (systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Imbalances in the levels of salts and fluids in your body (electrolyte and fluid imbalance). Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
  • dry mouth
  • thirst
  • weakness
  • drowsiness
  • restlessness
  • muscle pains or cramps
  • low blood pressure
  • low output of urine
  • fast heart rate
  • nausea
  • vomiting

Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide can cause tiredness (fatigue) and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how this medication affects you.

Do not take fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide if you:

• are allergic to fosinopril, to any other ACE inhibitor, to hydrochlorothiazide, or any other ingredients, or other sulfonamide-derived drugs
• kidneys are unable to produce urine (anuric)

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide, salt substitutes containing potassium should be avoided. 

Before taking fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially tell your doctor if:

• you are allergic to fosinopril, to any other ACE inhibitor, to hydrochlorothiazide, or other sulfonamide-derived drugs, or any other ingredient in this medication
• your kidneys are unable to produce urine (anuric)
• you have kidney or liver disease
• you have diabetes, especially if you are taking aliskiren (Tekturna)
• you are about to have major surgery
• you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed

Tell you doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide falls into category D. When pregnancy is detected, discontinue fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide as soon as possible. Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the unborn baby.

Tell your doctor is you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. 

Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered. 

• Take fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide exactly as prescribed. 
• Fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide comes in a tablet form and is taken by mouth once daily with or without food. 

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• your blood pressure
• previous medications used and the doses tried
• how you respond to this medication
• your other medical conditions

The dosing of fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide is based off its two components: fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide. Fosinopril is a successful treatment of high blood pressure in once-daily doses of 10–80 mg, while hydrochlorothiazide is successful in doses of 12.5–50 mg per day.  

If you take too much fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away. 

• Store at room temperature, 68° to 77°F (20° to 25°C). 
• Protect from moisture by keeping bottle tightly closed.
• Keep this and all medications out of the reach of children. 

WARNING: FETAL TOXICITY 

• When pregnancy is detected, discontinue fosinopril and hydrochlorothiazide as soon as possible. 
• Drugs that act directly on the renin-angiotensin system can cause injury and death to the developing fetus.