Prescription medication · Thiazide-Like Diuretic
chlorthalidone
Also sold as Thalitone. This medicine treats high blood pressure, either alone or with other drugs.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 11,035
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 3
- InteractionsFew interactions
- 98% less
- Generic vs brandHuge savings
- 1
- Recall record
What the data shows
chlorthalidone (Thalitone) is a prescription Thiazide-Like Diuretic, reported less often than most tracked drugs (11,035 FDA reports), whose generic costs a fraction of the brand (about 98% less).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
chlorthalidone (Thalitone) is a prescription Thiazide-Like Diuretic. This medicine treats high blood pressure, either alone or with other drugs.
Chlorthalidone is a water pill that helps lower blood pressure and reduce swelling. It works by helping your kidneys remove extra salt and water from your body.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$3.55/unit
Generic Price
$0.08/unit
Generic Savings
98%
Generic Available
Yes (16 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
This medicine treats high blood pressure, either alone or with other drugs.
Common side effects
Loss of appetite, Upset stomach, Nausea
Key warnings
If you have kidney problems where you aren't producing urine, you should not take this medicine.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from chlorthalidone's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Chlorthalidone is a diuretic, which means it helps your body get rid of extra fluid. It works by acting on your kidneys to increase the amount of salt and water that you pass in your urine. This helps to lower your blood pressure and reduce swelling.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 11,035 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for chlorthalidone, by number of reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
861 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
704 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
643 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
563 reports
- Pain
Pain
541 reports
- Headache
Headache
513 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
509 reports
- Acute Kidney Injury
Acute Kidney Injury
471 reports
- Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease
455 reports
- Arthralgia
Arthralgia
432 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for chlorthalidone each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where chlorthalidone sits
chlorthalidone has more FDA adverse-event reports than 41% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is chlorthalidone; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 11,035 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
11,035
Reports Mentioning Death
656
5.9% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
3,583
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FATIGUE | 861 |
| 2 | NAUSEA | 704 |
| 4 | DIARRHOEA | 643 |
| 5 | DIZZINESS | 563 |
| 6 | PAIN | 541 |
| 7 | HEADACHE | 513 |
| 8 | DYSPNOEA | 509 |
| 10 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 471 |
| 11 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 455 |
| 12 | ARTHRALGIA | 432 |
| 13 | ASTHENIA | 420 |
| 14 | BLOOD PRESSURE INCREASED | 388 |
| 15 | HYPERTENSION | 387 |
| 16 | VOMITING | 377 |
| 17 | FALL | 361 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
If you have kidney problems where you aren't producing urine, you should not take this medicine. Also, if you are allergic to chlorthalidone or other sulfa drugs, avoid this medication.
Known Drug Interactions
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS Renal clearance of lithium is reduced by diuretics, such as chlorthalidone increasing the risk of lithium toxicity ( 7 ) NSAIDS increase risk of renal dysfunction and interfere with antihypertensive effect ( 7 ) Dual inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system: Increased risk of renal impairment, hypotension, and hyperkalemia ( 7 ) Lithium: Increases in serum lithium concentrations and lithium toxicity ( 7 ) 7.1 Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Agents including Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors (COX-2 Inhibitors) In patients who are elderly, volume-depleted (including...
Mechanism: These drugs work in different ways to lower blood pressure, which can increase the risk of very low blood pressure and kidney problems.
Chlorthalidone and related drugs may decrease arterial responsiveness to norepinephrine.
Mechanism: Chlorthalidone makes your blood vessels less reactive to norepinephrine. This can make it harder for norepinephrine to raise your blood pressure when needed.
In separate single or multiple dose pharmacokinetic interaction studies with chlorthalidone, nifedipine, propranolol, hydrochlorothiazide, cimetidine, metoclopramide, propantheline, digoxin, and warfarin, the bioavailability of fosinoprilat was not altered by coadministration of fosinopril with any one of these drugs.
Mechanism: Taking these medications together does not affect the amount of active medicine that enters your body.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I take this with other blood pressure medicines?
What should I do if I feel dizzy?
Will this medicine cure my high blood pressure?
Can I drink alcohol while taking this medicine?
Does this medicine affect blood sugar?
Can this medicine affect my potassium levels?
How long does it take for this medicine to work?
What if I have side effects?
Can I stop taking this medicine on my own?
Does this medicine interact with other medications?
What are the common side effects of chlorthalidone?
Does chlorthalidone interact with other medications?
What drug class is chlorthalidone?
Is there a generic version of chlorthalidone?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for chlorthalidone?
Has chlorthalidone been recalled?
Active Recalls
Failed Dissolution Specifications
AvKARE
Related Medications in Thiazide-Like Diuretic
Other drugs grouped near chlorthalidone - same-class peers and common alternatives.
acebutolol
Sectral
Acebutolol is a medicine that helps lower blood pressure and control irregular heartbeats.
Compare with chlorthalidone →
aliskiren
Tekturna
Tekturna is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure.
Compare with chlorthalidone →
amiloride
Midamor
Amiloride is a water pill that helps your body hold onto potassium.
Compare with chlorthalidone →
amlodipine
Norvasc
Amlodipine (Norvasc) is a drug that lowers blood pressure and treats chest pain.
Compare with chlorthalidone →
amlodipine/benazepril
Lotrel
Lotrel is a combination medicine that contains amlodipine and benazepril.
Compare with chlorthalidone →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for chlorthalidone: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 11,035.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 5.94%.
- dicyclomine Δ 0.03 pts · 13,367 reports · Anticholinergic / Antispasmodic 5.91%death share
- vortioxetine Δ 0.05 pts · 16,243 reports · Serotonin Modulator 5.90%death share
- ergocalciferol Δ 0.05 pts · 366,491 reports · Vitamin D2 Supplement 5.90%death share
- baloxavir marboxil Δ 0.06 pts · 2,164 reports · Endonuclease Inhibitor (Antiviral) 6.01%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for chlorthalidone
The FDA label for chlorthalidone (sold under brand names such as Thalitone) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Thiazide-Like Diuretic class. This medicine treats high blood pressure, either alone or with other drugs. Official labeling lists 12 commonly reported side effects, including Loss of appetite, Upset stomach, Nausea.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 11,035 voluntary reports. The database also lists 3 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.08 versus $3.55 for the brand - a 98% generic savings.
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 (currently 1 recall record on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
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. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: November 24, 2022
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
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