Bendroflumethiazide
Encyclopedia
Bendroflumethiazide formerly bendrofluazide (BAN
British Approved Name
A British Approved Name is the official non-proprietary or generic name given to a pharmaceutical substance, as defined in the British Pharmacopoeia...

), is a thiazide
Thiazide
Thiazide is a term used to describe a type of molecule and a class of diuretics often used to treat hypertension and edema ....

 diuretic
Diuretic
A diuretic provides a means of forced diuresis which elevates the rate of urination. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from bodies, although each class does so in a distinct way.- Medical uses :...

 used to treat hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...

.

It is also a fairly cheap drug, made cheap through mass production. Normal pharmaceutical trade prices vary from £0.10 - £0.20 for a 28 calendar pack of Bendroflumethiazide 2.5 tablets.
Bendroflumethiazide (bendrofluazide) is a thiazide diuretic which works by inhibiting sodium absorption at the beginning of the distal convoluted tubule
Distal convoluted tubule
The distal convoluted tubule is a portion of kidney nephron between the loop of Henle and the collecting duct system.- Physiology :It is partly responsible for the regulation of potassium, sodium, calcium, and pH...

 (DCT). Potassium is lost as a result of more sodium reaching the collecting ducts. Bendroflumethiazide has a role in the treatment of mild heart failure although loop diuretics are better for reducing overload. The main use of bendroflumethiazide currently is in hypertension (part of the effect is due to vasodilation
Vasodilation
Vasodilation refers to the widening of blood vessels resulting from relaxation of smooth muscle cells within the vessel walls, particularly in the large arteries, smaller arterioles and large veins. The process is essentially the opposite of vasoconstriction, or the narrowing of blood vessels. When...

).

Common adverse effects
  • postural hypotension
    Orthostatic hypotension
    Orthostatic hypotension, also known as postural hypotension, orthostasis, and colloquially as head rush or dizzy spell, is a form of hypotension in which a person's blood pressure suddenly falls when the person stands up or stretches. The decrease is typically greater than 20/10 mm Hg, and may be...

  • hyponatraemia, hypokalaemia, hypercalcaemia
    Hypercalcaemia
    Hypercalcaemia is an elevated calcium level in the blood. . It can be an asymptomatic laboratory finding, but because an elevated calcium level is often indicative of other diseases, a workup should be undertaken if it persists...

  • gout
    Gout
    Gout is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected . However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate...

  • impaired glucose tolerance
  • impotence

Rare adverse effects
  • thrombocytopenia
    Thrombocytopenia
    Thrombocytopenia is a relative decrease of platelets in blood.A normal human platelet count ranges from 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood. These limits are determined by the 2.5th lower and upper percentile, so values outside this range do not necessarily indicate disease...

  • agranulocytosis
    Agranulocytosis
    Granulopenia, also known as Agranulosis or Agranulocytosis, is an acute condition involving a severe and dangerous leukopenia , most commonly of neutrophils causing a neutropenia in the circulating blood. It represents a severe lack of one major class of infection-fighting white blood cells...

  • photosensitivity rash
  • pancreatitis
    Pancreatitis
    Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It occurs when pancreatic enzymes that digest food are activated in the pancreas instead of the small intestine. It may be acute – beginning suddenly and lasting a few days, or chronic – occurring over many years...

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