Low sodium levels and Indapamide

[Pinkutd]

Hi, I was taking Indapamide for 4 weeks and my BP was great, however my GP has taken me off them as he said my sodium levels are too low, now I'm on Doxazosin and my BP is right back up and I feel rubbish. Anyone else suffer from low sodium levels and if so is there anything you can take to increase your levels, apparently mine are always on the low side, yet I've never been told before?

[Happyrosie]

I don’t know - and as a complete amateur I thought you had to keep your salt (sodium) levels down anyway if your bp is high!

So, assuming you are in the UK, a phone call to the specialist charity Blood Pressure UK might help???? Other than that, your GP practice might have a specialist pharmacist nurse (mine does) and he or she might help??

[Pinkutd in reply to Happyrosie]

Exactly, my thoughts too that sodium should be low with high BP, apparently not too low. I did ask my GP could I not just take a supplement but he said no! I was just wondering if anyone else had the same issue and if they were given a supplement from their GP which I could then ask about for me?

[Happyrosie in reply to Pinkutd]

The charity will have a wider view than the few people on this forum who might be on the same regime as you and also might have low sodium. Remember your doc knows about your other medical issues, if any, along with height weight and family history - we don’t!

[Thingybob]

I had exactly the same with indapamide 2.5mg. Low sodium is an indication of dehydration rather than the amount of salt . Its because indapamide is a diuretic and can cause you to loose too much fluid. It caused me to be lethargic and tired too. I changed to.indapamide slow release 1.5mg which i take early morning . I also take ramipril and lercanidipine which i take at night with a statin.

Best wishes

[Pinkutd in reply to Thingybob]

Thank you for the feedback I'll speak with my GP and see if I'm able to take 1.5mg instead of Doxazosin.

[Harrythmia in reply to Pinkutd]

Doxazosin to replace Indepamide

Hi Pinkitd, I too was told by a&e doctor to stop my 2.5mg Indepamide and start Dozazosin 2x2mg a day (an “alpha blocker”)

Both my potassium and Sodium levels were low and below minimum levels. They told me not to just stop Indepamide without replacing it as BP would otherwise be worse.

Within 2 hours of taking the first 2mg docazisin I felt awful and about to faint. My BP had fallen drastically to 80/48.

A second visit to a&e told me to stop doxazosin immediately and go back on indapamide pending specialist appts months away.

How did you get on finding an alternative to doxazosin Did the 1.25 mg SR Indepamide fix your sodium level and maintain adequate BP control ? Thanks Harry

[b1b1b1]

Yes, my sodium levels have been lowish for several years--usually around 132-134. It is a real problem as I would like to take anti depressants, but they have a side effect of slightly lowering sodium. I have recently seen an endocrinologist about this. The basic method to raise sodium is to drink less water -i.e. one and a half to one and three quarters liters of fluids per day. That is total fluids. The other thing he suggested is to eat more protein. I did both of these for a couple of weeks and the sodium did go up to 138, but I was thirsty and constipated from less fluids. It's an annoying problem to have.

See what your doctor or endocrinologist has to say about your situation, as it may be different from my protocol.

[Pinkutd in reply to b1b1b1]

Thank you for the feedback, thats a big help. I do drink a lot of water so that's probably one of my issues. I will contact my GP to discuss.

[b1b1b1 in reply to Pinkutd]

Yes, possibly try to cut back on the water. My doctors have told me 1 and 1/2 liters a day is god, but I probably drink more like 1 and 3/4. Also, most food, especially fruits and vegetables have a lot of water. See what your GP says.

[Windmill6]

Hi, I wondered if you had a high potassium level? Do you have any symptoms of Addisons disease? It is not normal to have constant low sodium,something must be causing it.Do you feel thirsty and how much fluid are you drinking per day.?

[Pinkutd in reply to Windmill6]

Hi ,my GP said my potassium levels were fine. I'm not sure about Addisons disease, I will look it up. I drink between 4-5 pints of water a day as if I didn't I would be very thirsty and on exercise days I sweat a lot. Thanks for your advice.

[AgedCrone]

Everyone has a different journey finding the right BP meds.. … I have been on the same drug for 35 years…but it took many changes ..at least 6 - & the input of a cardiologist before “the one” was found.

If you have other conditions that may be causing your hypertension …if you don’t get settled soon …why not ask your GP for a referral to a specialist who will be more used to solving the problem.

[Pinkutd in reply to AgedCrone]

That's a great idea, thank you 😊

[Red1973]

Hi I had a similar problem with Indapamide last summer.

I went to A& E as I felt really ill - they did blood tests and found my sodium levels had dropped to 125 ( by the time they analysed the first test they did a second and they had dropped to 122. )They checked my medications and I had been put on Indapamide about a month earlier .

They blamed the Indapamide and stopped it and let me home after 4 days when my levels had reached 127 which they said was acceptable and should rise once off that tablet

I had for several years had sodium levels of 131-133 which is the lower point of the sodium levels range considered acceptable and if I ever queried it with doctors I was told it was no concern.

I had no knowledge of how Indapamide could affect your sodium levels until this happened and was very disappointed my doctor ( in a practice where there are several and it’s pot luck who you see) had not checked my blood test records which were on file to see if I had a low sodium record as surely they must know the side effects.

After I was changed to new medication and recent blood tests show levels consistently at 133 but I have enquired to various medics how I can balance my sodium levels ( one answer was drink less water but I don’t want to be dehydrated) without any suitable answer apart from taking regularly tests ( which fortunately I have to do at present due to an unrelated condition)

As far as I am aware my potassium levels have been ok.

[Pinkutd in reply to Red1973]

I haven't been told what my sodium levels are just that they were too low and have always been low, yet I was never informed and they still put me on Indapamide. Hope you get sorted quickly. Thanks for the feedback 🙂

[ChrissiG]

I had the same problem when I was on Losartan for BP. My sodium levels dropped down and I felt really ill and weak. Once I stopped the meds it went back to normal. I don’t take a BP Med now. None of them made much difference and all had side effects. How high is your BP? If you really need to take something then I would ask the GP to try you on a different one until you find something that works and doesn’t make you ill. Very much trial and effect I’m afraid.

[Pinkutd in reply to ChrissiG]

I have changed my BP med now thank you and so far so good.

[oceansplash in reply to ChrissiG]

May I ask what side effects did you have on losartan? I have body aches all over and low sodium.

[ChrissiG in reply to oceansplash]

Yes - the same. Aching legs, pain in my back and a general feeling of weakness/fatigue. Felt much better once I stopped them.

[oceansplash in reply to ChrissiG]

I'm taking to lower protein in urine for kidney disease stage 3. It does a good job at that but the side effects are ruining my life. Toss and turn for 3 hours every night. I've been unsure if it's the losartan or the low sodium that's causing it. My sodium is usually 133. So it's got to be the losartan. Thanks for your reply.

[ChrissiG in reply to oceansplash]

The Losartan will be causing the low sodium which is making you feel ill. Hope they can find another medication to help without those side effects.