amiloride vs lithium
Side-by-side comparison of amiloride and lithium. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Lithium generally should not be given with diuretics because they reduce its renal clearance and add a high risk of lithium toxicity. Read circulars for lithium preparations before use of such concomitant therapy.
Recommendation: These drugs should generally not be used together because of the high risk of lithium poisoning.
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.
Lithium is a mood stabilizer medicine. It helps to balance mood swings.
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.
Lithium is used to treat bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and concentration. Lithium helps to control the extreme highs (mania) and lows (depression) of this condition.
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.
Lithium affects the flow of sodium in nerve and muscle cells in the body. This helps to stabilize your mood. It may also affect other chemical messenger systems in the brain.
- • Headache
- • Nausea
- • Loss of appetite
- • Diarrhea
- • Vomiting
- • Tremor (shaking)
- • Nausea
- • Increased weight
- • Fatigue (feeling tired)
- • Vomiting
- Shortness of breath 69
- Diarrhea 57
- Feeling sick to your stomach 49
- Throwing up 39
- Tiredness 37
- Poisoning from different substances 2,179
- The drug is reacting with another medicine 1,526
- Shaking 1,463
- Feeling sick to your stomach 1,344
- Gaining weight 1,153
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.
Lithium levels in your blood need to be monitored closely by your doctor. Too much lithium can be toxic and cause serious side effects. Make sure to attend all scheduled blood tests.
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.
Lithium can harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Lithium can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you are taking lithium.
How to Read This amiloride vs lithium Comparison
amiloride is classified in the Potassium-Sparing Diuretic drug class, while lithium sits within the Mood Stabilizer 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 lithium has 7,665. 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 moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to amiloride makes it harder for your kidneys to get rid of lithium. this can cause lithium to reach toxic levels in your body.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between amiloride and lithium - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.