amiloride vs hydrochlorothiazide

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Side-by-side comparison of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

Use of lisinopril with potassium-sparing diuretics (e.g., spironolactone, eplerenone, triamterene, or amiloride), potassium supplements, or potassium-containing salt substitutes may lead to significant increases in serum potassium.

Drug Class
amiloride Potassium-Sparing Diuretic
hydrochlorothiazide Thiazide Diuretic
Type
amiloride Prescription
hydrochlorothiazide Prescription
Summary
amiloride

Amiloride is a water pill that helps your body hold onto potassium. It is often used with other water pills to prevent low potassium levels.

hydrochlorothiazide

No summary available.

What It Treats
amiloride

Amiloride treats high blood pressure and heart failure. It helps restore normal potassium levels if you develop low potassium while taking other water pills. It can also prevent low potassium if you are at risk, such as if you take digoxin or have heart rhythm problems. Amiloride is not usually prescribed alone.

hydrochlorothiazide

Information not available.

How It Works
amiloride

Amiloride blocks sodium channels in your kidneys. This action reduces the amount of potassium lost in your urine. This helps to maintain or increase potassium levels in your body.

hydrochlorothiazide

Information not available.

Common Side Effects
amiloride
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhea
  • Vomiting
hydrochlorothiazide
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Cough
  • Fatigue
FAERS Reports
amiloride
  • Dyspnoea 69
  • Diarrhoea 57
  • Nausea 49
  • Vomiting 39
  • Fatigue 37
hydrochlorothiazide
  • Fatigue 10,014
  • Nausea 9,709
  • Diarrhoea 8,311
  • Pain 7,663
  • Dyspnoea 7,582
Serious Warnings
amiloride

Amiloride can cause high potassium levels, which can be dangerous. You should not take this medicine if you already have high potassium, kidney problems, or are taking other potassium-sparing diuretics or potassium supplements. Your doctor should check your potassium levels regularly.

hydrochlorothiazide

No specific warnings noted.

Pregnancy
amiloride

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. It is not known if amiloride can harm an unborn baby or pass into breast milk.

hydrochlorothiazide

No pregnancy information available.

How to Read This amiloride vs hydrochlorothiazide Comparison

amiloride is classified in the Potassium-Sparing Diuretic drug class, while hydrochlorothiazide sits within the Thiazide Diuretic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amiloride has 251 submissions while hydrochlorothiazide has 43,279. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to amiloride is a medicine that keeps potassium in the body, which can cause potassium levels in your blood to become too high.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for amiloride or hydrochlorothiazide.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.