amiloride
Brand names: Midamor
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.
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.17/unit
Generic Available
Yes (3 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Amiloride treats high blood pressure and heart failure.
Common side effects
Headache, Nausea, Loss of appetite
Key warnings
Amiloride can cause high potassium levels, which can be dangerous.
How It Works
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.
How to Take It
Take amiloride with food. Your doctor will tell you how much to take, usually starting with one 5 mg tablet daily. The dose may be increased to 10 mg per day if needed. Do not take more than two 5 mg tablets daily unless your doctor tells you to.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
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.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule.
Storage
Store at room temperature between 59°F and 86°F in a tightly closed, light-resistant container.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 422 FDA adverse event reports.
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 834 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
834
Death-Related Reports
62
Hospitalization Reports
384
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DYSPNOEA | 69 |
| 2 | DIARRHOEA | 57 |
| 3 | NAUSEA | 49 |
| 4 | VOMITING | 39 |
| 5 | FATIGUE | 37 |
| 6 | MALAISE | 37 |
| 7 | FALL | 36 |
| 8 | CONFUSIONAL STATE | 33 |
| 9 | DRUG INTERACTION | 33 |
| 10 | HEADACHE | 32 |
| 11 | HYPERKALAEMIA | 31 |
| 12 | PRURITUS | 29 |
| 13 | RENAL FAILURE ACUTE | 29 |
| 14 | ABDOMINAL PAIN | 28 |
| 15 | ASTHENIA | 27 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
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.
Known Drug Interactions
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Triamterene and amiloride: Concomitant use is contraindicated (7.1) Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone inhibitors: Monitor for hyperkalemia (7.2) Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Monitor for hyperkalemia (7.3) 7.1 Triamterene or amiloride Use with triamterene or amiloride can produce severe hyperkalemia.
Mechanism: Both of these medicines increase the amount of potassium in your blood, and taking them together can cause potassium levels to become dangerously high.
What to do: Do not take these two medications together as the combination is restricted.
Drug Interactions When amiloride HCl is administered concomitantly with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, cyclosporine or tacrolimus, the risk of hyperkalemia may be increased.
Mechanism: Both of these medications can cause potassium levels in your blood to rise. Taking them together increases the risk of having too much potassium, which can be dangerous.
What to do: Your doctor should monitor your blood potassium levels closely while you are taking both drugs.
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.
Mechanism: Amiloride makes it harder for your kidneys to get rid of lithium. This can cause lithium to reach toxic levels in your body.
What to do: These drugs should generally not be used together because of the high risk of lithium poisoning.
Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone, amiloride, triamterene, and others) or potassium supplements can increase the risk of hyperkalemia. Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone, amiloride, triamterene, and others) or potassium supplements can increase the risk of hyperkalemia.
Mechanism: Both of these medications can cause the body to keep too much potassium instead of passing it through urine. This can lead to a dangerous buildup of potassium in your blood.
What to do: Your doctor should monitor your potassium levels closely while you are taking these medications together.
Hyperkalemia Potassium-sparing diuretics (spironolactone, amiloride, triamterene, and others) can increase the risk of hyperkalemia.
Mechanism: These two drugs both prevent the kidneys from flushing out potassium. Taking them together increases the risk that your potassium levels will become too high.
What to do: You should have regular blood tests to check your potassium levels if you are prescribed both medications.
Common Questions
Can I take amiloride alone?
What should I do if I experience side effects?
Can I take potassium supplements with amiloride?
Will amiloride affect my other medications?
How often will my potassium levels be checked?
Can I drink alcohol while taking amiloride?
What if I have kidney problems?
Can amiloride cause dehydration?
Does amiloride affect blood sugar?
Can I drive or operate machinery while taking amiloride?
What are the common side effects of amiloride?
Does amiloride interact with other medications?
What drug class is amiloride?
Is amiloride safe during pregnancy?
Related Medications in Potassium-Sparing Diuretic
Other drugs grouped near amiloride — same-class peers and common alternatives.
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amlodipine
Norvasc
Amlodipine (Norvasc) is a drug that lowers blood pressure and treats chest pain.
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amlodipine/benazepril
Lotrel
Lotrel is a combination medicine that contains amlodipine and benazepril.
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amlodipine/valsartan
Exforge
Exforge HCT is a combination medicine used to treat high blood pressure.
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What the FDA Data Shows for amiloride
The FDA label for amiloride (sold under brand names such as Midamor) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Potassium-Sparing Diuretic class. Amiloride treats high blood pressure and heart failure. Official labeling lists 9 commonly reported side effects, including Headache, Nausea, Loss of appetite.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 422 voluntary reports. The database also lists 19 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated major severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.17.
Report counts do not establish causation — a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice — always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: November 28, 2023
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book — approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed — NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) — post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm — standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files — federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database — current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages