Ace inhibitors are usually recommended for diabetics. My doctor switched me from atenolol, a beta blocker to Altace, an ace inhibitor. Some people develop a cough, but I have had no problem

Quote from Roxx:

Gosh, how were you allergic to lisinopril and how did it put you in the ER? That's scary!

What is hctz? Is that the name of only one particular diuretic? I've never heard of it before.

Roxx,

It is hydrochlorothiazide, which is one of the most popular diuretics to prescribe for hypertension.

This actually describes a bit more from something that was mentioned in the other thread that I responded to you. However, it overlaps a little with the medications for hypertension. I took it for years, even after the diabetes diagnosis (and later on was switched to Ziac, which is a combination with HCTZ). I can't really say whether or not it affected my glucose levels like it did for jtu. When I came off it, I was losing weight quickly in the process of trying to "fix" my plight after the heart attack. I remember that the first medication that I reduced then came off of was Amaryl for diabetes. That took only 2 months to reduce (20 lb. weight loss) and a little daily walking--a whole 15 min each day! A month later, I was off of Amaryl completely, right around when I hit 190 lbs. I was still overweight, but that change was enough to control the sugars and put them in the levels where it should be. The next one was Ziac, which contained the diuretic. That took about 40 lbs of weight loss before that one was removed. The next was a reduction in Tricor dosage at the same time and 2 months later--no more Tricor. My triglycerides plummeted as I continued losing weight and especially when I increased my exercise to slow jogs and increasingly faster runs. My blood pressures continued to drop as I kept the routine and lost weight. By the time I hit 165 lbs, I had blood pressure readings in 90/50 range and my heart rate was in the mid 30s resting. So, Toprol (beta blocker) was removed and my blood pressure didn't change much. Over the next two months, my final med, an ace inhibitor called Altace was reduced then removed. By April 2003, one year after the heart attack, my weight was 155 lbs (72 lb loss), my diabetes was no longer detectable, hypertension gone, and lipid profile looking the best it had ever been.