What You Need to Know: Aldactazide and Spironolactone

When you’ve worked in the pharmaceutical industry for seven years, people like to ask questions. Whether it’s by email of telephone call, they want information. Usually it’s about the drugs they have been prescribed. Sometimes is it about a drug they saw an advertisement for on television.

Prescriptions tend to be one of the most confusing parts about medical care. The doctor says one thing, the consumer packet may say another, and your pharmacist may tell you something completely different from all three. Let’s say the doctor gives you’re a prescription for a simple maintenance medication like Lipitor, where the information is pretty straightforward. For all the information that is straightforward, there are more difficult drugs to understand, such as the Humira Injection for rheumatoid arthritis.
But when you go onto the various websites to do the necessary research about the medication, what information should you look at? What information can you skip? What do some of these tough words mean? It can be quite a daunting task. Just like when you were in school, sometimes when the reading becomes too difficult, a student sometimes misses the key points, or gives up on the reading altogether. The pharmaceutical ads found in print are very difficult to interpret and very intimidating to the eye. As far as television ads go, who can understand all the fast talking throughout the commercial? Have you ever heard the list of side effects on a commercial? Sometimes it makes one wonder if taking the drug is even worth it! Unfortunately, not knowing your pharmaceutical information as a consumer can be dangerous and unbeneficial.
Some of the most important information you need to recognize about your medication is this:
Brand Name and Chemical Name of Drug (chemical name used typically for generics)
What is the drug used for? (to treat acne, depression, bacterial infection)
How you should take the medication. (with or without food, in the morning, before sleep)
When you should not take the drug. (if you are pregnant, have liver disease, etc.)
What are the most common side effects? (headache, nausea, diarrhea)

In this series of articles entitled “What You Need to Know,” I will be tackling your questions on a variety of medications. It will be a question and answer format, ranging from side effects to what special precautions you might need to take. Think of it as a quiz so that you can be well-informed before speaking to your doctor and taking the medications.

Here’s What you Need to Know about the Drug, Aldactazide:

What is Aldactazide used for?
It is a drug used to lower blood pressure. The generic name is spironlactone. This along with Hydrochlorithiazide allows the body to increase the amount of urine you make and allows you to eliminate it more.

What are the general side effects of Aldactazide?
Stomach pain, headache, diarrhea and fatigue.

How am I supposed to take this?
The general dosage of it varies, therefore you should follow the schedule your doctor gives you completely.

Is there anything special I need to know about this drug?
This can change the amounts of potassium in your blood, so make sure you talk to your doctor.