Chlorthalidone is a common medicine that helps many people lower their blood pressure. But new research from Columbia University shows there may be some hidden risks that people should know about.
Let’s start with what blood pressure is.
Think of your blood vessels as roads and your blood as cars. When blood pressure is too high, it’s like cars speeding dangerously fast. This can hurt your body by damaging the heart, kidneys, or brain.
That’s why doctors use medicine to bring that speed down. One of these medicines is chlorthalidone.
In a huge study, researchers followed more than 730,000 people for 17 years. They wanted to see how safe chlorthalidone really is, especially compared to another drug called hydrochlorothiazide.
Both of these drugs help lower blood pressure and prevent heart problems, but the scientists found something surprising.
People who took chlorthalidone were three times more likely to have low potassium levels in their blood.
This condition is called hypokalemia. Potassium is very important because it helps your muscles move and keeps your heart beating properly. Without enough potassium, people can feel weak, get tired easily, or even have heart rhythm problems.
Here’s what the numbers say: 6.3% of people taking chlorthalidone had low potassium, while only 1.9% of people taking hydrochlorothiazide had the same problem. That’s a big difference.
But that’s not all. People on chlorthalidone also had more problems with their electrolytes and kidneys. Electrolytes are like small chemical signals that help your body work correctly. Your kidneys clean your blood and keep everything balanced. When either of these gets out of balance, it can cause serious trouble.
This doesn’t mean everyone who takes chlorthalidone will get sick. But it does mean people should be careful. If you take this medicine, talk to your doctor regularly and get your blood checked. It’s always better to be safe and catch problems early.
There are also simple ways to keep your blood pressure healthy. Eating more fruits and vegetables, cutting back on salt, avoiding alcohol, and quitting smoking can help a lot. Moving your body—like walking, dancing, or doing yoga—and finding ways to relax are also great for your heart.
The Columbia University team says they’ll keep studying this medicine and others like it. They want to make sure people are getting the safest treatment possible.
So, if you’re using chlorthalidone, think of it as helping traffic flow better in your blood vessels. But you still need to check the road signs—like how your body feels and what your doctor says. That way, you can stay safe and keep your heart running smoothly.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about the ideal blood pressure for older people and common high blood pressure drugs may cause memory problems.
For more health information, please read studies about A common blood pressure medication that could help you live longer and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure takes a medication that harms blood pressure.
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