Uniretic (Moexipril HCl Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets) Drug Information: Overdosage and Contraindications

Pill Identifier Search

May 27, 2012

Uniretic

High Blood Pressure »

High blood pressure facts

High blood pressure (hypertension) is designated as either essential (primary) hypertension or secondary hypertension and is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg.
High blood pressure is called "the silent killer" because it often causes no symptoms for many years, even decades, until it finally damages certain critical organs.
Poorly controlled high blood pressure ultimately can cause damage to blood vessels in the eye, thickening of the heart muscle and heart attacks, hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), kidney failure, and strokes.
Most antihypertensive medications can be used alone or in combination. Some are used only in combination. Some are preferred over others in certain specific medical situations. And some are not to be used (contraindicated) in other situations.
Several classes of antihypertensive medications are available, including ACE i...

Read the High Blood Pressure article »

« Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Next »

Uniretic User Reviews >>

Uniretic

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Slideshow

Take the Salt Quiz!

Lowering Blood Pressure Exercise Tips Pictures

font size

OVERDOSE

No specific information is available on the treatment of overdosage with uniretic®. Treatment should be symptomatic and supportive. Therapy with uniretic® should be discontinued and the patient observed closely. Suggested measures include induction of emesis and/or gastric lavage and correction of dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and hypotension by established procedures.

Single oral doses of 2 g/kg moexipril were associated with significant lethality in mice. Rats, however, tolerated single oral doses of up to 3 g/kg. The oral LD₅₀ of hydrochlorothiazide is greater than 10 g/kg in mice and rats. For the combination of moexipril hydrochloride and hydrochlorothiazide (ratio 7.5:12.5), the approximate LD₅₀ was around 10 g/kg for mice and above 10 g/kg for rats. Addition of hydrochlorothiazide to moexipril hydrochloride did not increase the acute toxicity due to moexipril hydrochloride.

Human overdoses of moexipril have not been reported. In case reports of overdoses with other ACE inhibitors, hypotension has been the principal adverse effect noted. The most common signs and symptoms observed with an overdose of hydrochlorothiazide have been those of dehydration and electrolyte depletion (hypokalemia, hypochloremia, hyponatremia). If digitalis has also been administered, hypokalemia may accentuate cardiac arrhythmias.

No data are available to suggest that physiological maneuvers (e.g., maneuvers to change the pH of the urine) would accelerate elimination of moexipril and its metabolites. The dialyzability of moexipril is not known.

Angiotensin II could presumably serve as a specific antagonist-antidote in the setting of moexipril overdose, but angiotensin II is essentially unavailable outside of research facilities. Because the hypotensive effect of moexipril is achieved through vasodilation and effective hypovolemia, it is reasonable to treat moexipril overdose by infusion of normal saline solution. In addition, renal function and serum potassium should be monitored.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

uniretic® is contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to any component of this product and in patients with a history of angioedema related to previous treatment with an ACE inhibitor. Because of the hydrochlorothiazide component, this product is contraindicated in patients with anuria or hypersensitivity to other sulfonamide-derived drugs. Hypersensitivity reactions are more likely to occur in patients with a history of allergy or bronchial asthma.

Last reviewed on RxList: 1/31/2012
This monograph has been modified to include the generic and brand name in many instances.