Two medicines, side by side
Hydrochlorothiazide vs nifedipine
Hydrochlorothiazide and nifedipine are both labeled for high blood pressure. Drugs@FDA records approvals of hydrochlorothiazide since 1959 and of nifedipine since 1981. Pharmacies paid $0.0115 per hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg tablet and $0.130 per nifedipine ER 30 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Hydrochlorothiazide's other strengths are brand-only: $4.46 per mL (Inzirqo 10 mg/mL oral suspension). In FDA's classes, hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic and nifedipine a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker.
Check it at the source: the hydrochlorothiazide FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 12, 2026); the nifedipine FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 24, 2024).
Highlights of the hydrochlorothiazide record
Hydrochlorothiazide (Inzirqo) · label of June 12, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsHydrochlorothiazide tablets USP are indicated as adjunctive therapy in edema associated with congestive heart failure, hepatic cirrhosis, and corticosteroid and estrogen therapy. Hydrochlorothiazide tablets USP have also been found useful in edema due to various forms of renal dysfunction such as nephrotic syndrome, acute glomerulonephritis, and chronic renal failure. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- February 12, 1959
- Generic labelers
- 43 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0115 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 7
Highlights of the nifedipine record
Nifedipine (Procardia) · label of December 24, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsNifedipine extended-release tablets are indicated for the treatment of hypertension. It may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 31, 1981
- Generic labelers
- 32 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.130 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 7
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Hydrochlorothiazide label of June 12, 2026, Nifedipine label of December 24, 2024); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do hydrochlorothiazide and nifedipine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic and nifedipine a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker.
Half-life, in each label's words: Hydrochlorothiazide, “When plasma levels have been followed for at least 24 hours, the plasma half-life has been observed to vary between 5.6 …”; Nifedipine, “The elimination half-life of nifedipine administered as nifedipine extended-release tablets are approximately 7 hours …”
Generics: hydrochlorothiazide since 1973; nifedipine since 1989 (Drugs@FDA).
| Hydrochlorothiazide | Nifedipine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Heart failure, High blood pressure, Edema (fluid retention) | High blood pressure, Angina |
| Pharmacologic class | Thiazide Diuretic | Dihydropyridine Calcium Channel Blocker |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | When plasma levels have been followed for at least 24 hours, the plasma half-life has been observed to vary between 5.6 and 14.8 hours. | The elimination half-life of nifedipine administered as nifedipine extended-release tablets are approximately 7 hours in contrast to the known 2 hour elimination half-life of nifedipine administered as an immediate … |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | February 12, 1959 | December 31, 1981 |
| First generic approved | January 12, 1973 | April 28, 1989 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 43 labelers | 32 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0115 per tablet (Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg tablet) | $0.130 per tablet (Nifedipine ER 30 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -7% | +19% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 144,413 | 41,059 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to hydrochlorothiazide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions