Chlorthalidone

• Chlorthalidone---a diuretic---also labeled as Thalitone, Atenolol or Tenoretic, is used to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention associated with liver disease, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Diuretics work by preventing your body from absorbing too much salt and retaining fluid. Diuretics reduce blood pressure by causing your body to produce and eliminate more urine. According to the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, chlorthalidone is a good first option for many people trying to control high blood pressure.
  
  

Raised Blood Sugar

• High blood sugar is a common side effect of chlorthalidone or any prescription diuretic. When you begin taking chlorthalidone, you will experience frequent urination. Normally, frequent urination lasts three to four weeks as your body adjusts to the amount of urine being produced. You can experience temporary hyperglycemia---high blood sugar---when first taking diuretics. People taking chlorthalidone regularly for a long period of time can experience a slow and steady increase in their blood sugar levels eventually developing diabetes. In 2002, a clinical trial known as ALLHAT showed that chlorthalidone was good for lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of heart attack and heart-related death. The ALLHAT study also showed that blood sugar levels rose in people taking any diuretic. During a period of six years, 14 percent of those taking chlorthalidone developed diabetes.
  
  Diabetes causes damage to the circulatory system and can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Hwever, people who developed diabetes from taking chlorthalidone showed no increased risk for these cardiovascular problems. The ALLHAT study and a 14-year follow-up of the volunteers in clinical trials using chlorthalidone found that, diuretic-induced diabetes may be less harmful than regular diabetes or even may be harmless.
  
  Even after such findings, the connection between blood pressure drugs and diabetes remains unsettled, the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, recommends continuing annual blood sugar testing for people taking diuretics.
  
  

Diabetes

• Diuretics---like chlorthalidone---come with warnings about changes to your blood sugar and the risk of developing diabetes. If you already have diabetes and are taking medication to control your blood sugar levels you shouldn't take any diuretic unless under a physicians supervision. Taking diuretics can change your need for insulin or oral diabetic medications.
  
  

Insight

• Normally our kidneys remove excess fluid from the blood. This fluid becomes urine and is excreted through your bladder. When your body water is decreased your kidneys produce less urine to conserve fluid. When taking a diuretic this process is disrupted as your body now produces less fluid and more urine. When your body can't regulate fluids you can develop a form of diabetes---not as severe as type 1 or 2 diabetes---diabetes insipidus---still requires medical treatment. The most common signs of fluid induced diabetes are excessive thirst and excessive urination; both also being symptoms of diuretics. The best way to monitor whether taking diuretics is putting you at risk for diabetes is to regularly monitor your blood sugar levels. Talk with your doctor about home diabetic testing supplies or regular in-office testing.