Home > Community Treatment Reports and Side Effects > Metolazone

What is the most important information I should know about metolazone?

Do not use this medication if you are unable to urinate, or if you have severe liver disease.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you have liver disease, kidney disease, asthma, allergies, gout, diabetes, or an allergy to sulfa drugs.

Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of metolazone.

Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Follow your doctor’s instructions about the type and amount of liquids you should drink. In some cases, drinking too much liquid can be as unsafe as not drinking enough.

There are many other medicines that can interact with metolazone. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, keep using this medication even if you feel fine. High blood pressure often has no symptoms.

Warning

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Back to Treatment Report

What is metolazone?

Metolazone is a thiazide diuretic (water pill) that helps prevent your body from absorbing too much salt, which can cause fluid retention.

Metolazone treats fluid retention (edema) in people with congestive heart failure, or a kidney disorder such as nephrotic syndrome. This medication is also used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).

Metolazone may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to metolazone, or if you have:

  • severe liver disease; or
  • if you are unable to urinate.

If you have certain conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication. Before using metolazone, tell your doctor if you have:

  • kidney disease;
  • liver disease;
  • gout;
  • diabetes; or
  • an allergy to sulfa drugs.

FDA pregnancy category B. This medication is not expected to be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Metolazone can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Avoid drinking alcohol, which can increase some of the side effects of metolazone.

Avoid using other medicines that make you light-headed (narcotic pain medication, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures). They can add to the side effects of metolazone. Tell your doctor if you regularly use any of these medicines, or any other blood pressure medications.

Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Follow your doctor’s instructions about the type and amount of liquids you should drink. In some cases, drinking too much liquid can be as unsafe as not drinking enough.

Back to top

Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include nausea, weakness, dizziness, dry mouth, thirst, muscle pain or weakness, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Back to top

Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

  • dry mouth, thirst, nausea, vomiting;
  • feeling weak, drowsy, restless, or light-headed;
  • fast or uneven heartbeat;
  • muscle pain or weakness;
  • chest pain;
  • urinating less than usual or not at all; or
  • numbness or tingly feeling.

Less serious side effects may include:

  • dizziness;
  • headache;
  • joint pain;
  • a red, blistering, peeling skin rash; or
  • blurred vision.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Back to top

Interactions

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

  • lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith);
  • digoxin (Lanoxin);
  • methenamine (Hiprex, Mandelamine, Urex);
  • steroids (prednisone and others);
  • insulin or diabetic medicine you take by mouth;
  • a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
  • furosemide (Lasix) or other blood pressure medications;
  • salicylates such as aspirin, Disalcid, Doan's Pills, Dolobid, Salflex, Tricosal, and others; or
  • NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), diclofenac (Voltaren), indomethacin, naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), piroxicam (Feldene), nabumetone (Relafen), etodolac (Lodine), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with metolazone. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Back to top

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04