Two medicines, side by side
Torsemide vs hydrochlorothiazide
Torsemide and hydrochlorothiazide are both labeled for high blood pressure and heart failure. Drugs@FDA records approvals of torsemide since 1993 and of hydrochlorothiazide since 1959. Pharmacies paid $0.0636 per torsemide 20 mg tablet and $0.0115 per hydrochlorothiazide 25 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, torsemide is a loop diuretic and hydrochlorothiazide a thiazide diuretic.
Check it at the source: the torsemide FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 8, 2024); the hydrochlorothiazide FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 12, 2026).
Highlights of the torsemide record
Torsemide (Demadex) · label of May 8, 2024
Used for
From the label: indicationsTorsemide is a loop diuretic indicated for: the treatment of edema associated with heart failure, renal disease or hepatic disease. ( 1.1 ) the treatment of hypertension, to lower blood pressure. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, primarily strokes and myocardial infarctions. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 23, 1993
- Generic labelers
- 20 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0636 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 2
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
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Torsemide label of May 8, 2024, Hydrochlorothiazide label of June 12, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do torsemide and hydrochlorothiazide differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, torsemide is a loop diuretic and hydrochlorothiazide a thiazide diuretic.
Half-life, in each label's words: Torsemide, “Elimination In normal subjects the elimination half-life of torsemide is approximately 3.5 hours.”; Hydrochlorothiazide, “When plasma levels have been followed for at least 24 hours, the plasma half-life has been observed to vary between 5.6 …”
Generics: torsemide since 2002; hydrochlorothiazide since 1973 (Drugs@FDA).
| Torsemide | Hydrochlorothiazide | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | High blood pressure, Heart failure | Heart failure, High blood pressure, Edema (fluid retention) |
| Pharmacologic class | Loop Diuretic | Thiazide Diuretic |
| How it works (label) | Micropuncture studies in animals have shown that torsemide acts from within the lumen of the thick ascending portion of the loop of Henle, where it inhibits the Na + /K + /2Cl – -carrier system. | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | Elimination In normal subjects the elimination half-life of torsemide is approximately 3.5 hours. | 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. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | August 23, 1993 | February 12, 1959 |
| First generic approved | May 14, 2002 | January 12, 1973 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 20 labelers | 43 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0636 per tablet (Torsemide 20 mg tablet) | $0.0115 per tablet (Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -12% | -7% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 2 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 32,925 | 144,413 |
| 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 torsemide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions