Diunorm 25 mg tablets – hydrochlorothiazide for high blood pressure and oedema

Diunorm 25 mg tablets contain the active substance hydrochlorothiazide, which belongs to the group of thiazide diuretics (“water tablets”). Hydrochlorothiazide increases urine output and thus reduces the amount of salt and water in the body; with longer use it helps lower and control blood pressure.

The medicine is used to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention in tissues due to heart, liver or kidney disease. It is manufactured by Slaviamed, Belgrade, and is available on prescription.

What is Diunorm 25 mg used for and how should it be taken correctly?

Key facts about the medicine

What is Diunorm used for?

According to the patient leaflet, Diunorm is used for:

• treatment of high blood pressure (arterial hypertension);
• conditions in which water is retained in the tissues as a result of heart, liver and kidney disease (oedema of cardiac, hepatic and renal origin).

How is it taken and dosed?

• Take the medicine in the morning with a meal and enough water, without chewing.
• The tablet can be divided into equal doses: place it on a flat, hard surface with the score line facing up and press firmly.
• The doctor determines the dose according to the response to treatment; treatment may last months or years.
• After long-term use the medicine is not stopped suddenly; the dose is reduced gradually.

Special patient groups

• Children and adolescents (under 18 years): use is not recommended.
• Elderly (65 years and over): possibly reduced kidney function should be taken into account.
• Liver or kidney impairment: the doctor may adjust the dose; in anuria the medicine is contraindicated, and in severe liver impairment additional caution is needed.

Contraindications – when the medicine must not be used

Do not take Diunorm:

• if you are allergic to hydrochlorothiazide, other thiazides, sulfonamide derivatives or any of the excipients;
• if you have severe kidney impairment with reduced or no urine output (anuria);
• if you have acute kidney inflammation (glomerulonephritis);
• if you have serious liver problems (hepatic coma and pre-coma);
• if you have reduced blood volume (hypovolaemia);
• if you have long-standing high calcium and low potassium and sodium levels that do not respond to treatment;
• if you have high uric acid with symptoms of gout;
• if you are pregnant.

Warnings and precautions

• Tell your doctor if you have or have had kidney or liver disease, diabetes or lupus erythematosus, low potassium or sodium, high calcium or uric acid, a tendency to allergies or asthma, very low blood pressure, circulation problems in the brain or heart.
• Vision problems or eye pain may be a sign of increased eye pressure (choroidal effusion, angle-closure glaucoma) – they may occur from a few hours to a few weeks after starting treatment and, without treatment, can permanently damage vision.
• If you have had skin cancer or an unexpected skin lesion appears during treatment, tell your doctor; protect your skin from the sun and UV rays.
• During long-term treatment the doctor regularly checks electrolytes (potassium, sodium, calcium), creatinine, urea, uric acid, blood fats and blood sugar.
• Before surgery tell the anaesthetist – the medicine may increase the effect of some muscle relaxants.
• The medicine may give a positive doping test; it contains lactose.

Interactions with other medicines, food and drink

Tell your doctor about all medicines you are taking. The doctor may adjust doses, especially with: lithium, antidepressants and antipsychotics; antiepileptics (e.g. carbamazepine); painkillers and anti-inflammatory medicines, especially NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors; corticosteroids, carbenoxolone, penicillin G, amphotericin and antiarrhythmics; digoxin and other digitalis glycosides; insulin and oral antidiabetics; colestyramine, colestipol and other resins; muscle relaxants; allopurinol; amantadine; some anticancer medicines; anticholinergics; ciclosporin; vitamin D and calcium salts; diazoxide; other blood pressure medicines and other diuretics; barbiturates, sedatives and alcohol; adrenergic amines (e.g. noradrenaline); laxatives; medicines that lower uric acid.

Drink enough fluids and eat potassium-rich food (e.g. bananas, vegetables, nuts) to compensate for potassium loss. Do not drink alcohol during treatment.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

Diunorm must not be taken during pregnancy – hydrochlorothiazide crosses the placenta and in the second and third trimesters may harm the foetus or newborn; your doctor will usually prescribe another medicine. It is not recommended for breast-feeding mothers.

Driving and using machines

As with other blood pressure medicines, caution is advised when driving or operating machines (dizziness and fainting on standing up are possible). Before such activities, check how you react to the medicine.

Possible side effects

Like all medicines, Diunorm can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

• Very common: increased blood fats.
• Common: low magnesium, raised uric acid, hives or rash, loss of appetite, mild nausea and vomiting, dizziness and fainting on standing up, erectile dysfunction.
• Rare: raised blood or urine sugar and worsening of diabetes, skin sensitivity to sunlight, stomach complaints, constipation or diarrhoea, jaundice and cholestasis, headache, dizziness, sleep disturbance, depression, tingling, worsening of vision in the first weeks.
• Frequency not known: muscle cramps, fever, general weakness, non-melanoma skin and lip cancer.
• Serious effects requiring urgent help: signs of severe allergy, lupus, toxic epidermal necrolysis or vasculitis; signs of low potassium or sodium (tiredness, cramps, confusion, seizures) or high calcium; pancreatitis; arrhythmias; blood count disorders; haemolytic anaemia; markedly reduced urine output; sudden loss of vision or eye pain.

Overdose, missed dose and stopping treatment

• Overdose: talk to a doctor or pharmacist immediately. Thirst, weakness, dizziness, muscle pain and cramps, headache, fast heartbeat, low blood pressure, seizures, numbness, confusion, collapse, acute kidney failure and arrhythmia are possible.
• Missed dose: skip it and take the next dose at the usual time; do not take a double dose.
• Stopping treatment: do not stop without your doctor’s advice; long-term treatment is stopped by gradually reducing the dose, as stopping suddenly may worsen the disease.

Related information

For regular monitoring of blood pressure at home, see also the category Blood pressure monitors – products in this category do not replace the medicine prescribed for you.

Composition, pack and manufacturer

• Active substance: hydrochlorothiazide – 25 mg per tablet.
• Excipients: lactose monohydrate; maize starch; colloidal anhydrous silica; magnesium stearate.
• Appearance and pack: round, biconvex, white tablets with a score line on one side; Al/PVC blister of 10 tablets, carton with 2 blisters (20 tablets).
• Marketing authorisation holder and manufacturer: Slaviamed d.o.o. Beograd, Bulevar oslobođenja 97, Voždovac; manufacturing site: Slaviamed d.o.o., Rumska malta bb, Sremska Mitrovica.

Storage

• Store below 25 °C in the original package.
• Shelf life: 4 years; do not use after the expiry date.
• Keep out of the sight and reach of children.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time to take Diunorm?

According to the leaflet, in the morning with a meal and enough water, without chewing. Taking it in the morning prevents increased urination from waking you at night.

Does Diunorm “flush out” potassium?

It can lower potassium and magnesium levels in the blood. That is why the doctor checks electrolytes from time to time, and the leaflet advises drinking enough fluids and eating potassium-rich food (bananas, vegetables, nuts).

Why should I protect myself from the sun while taking Diunorm?

Hydrochlorothiazide may increase skin sensitivity to the sun, and long-term use at higher doses may increase the risk of non-melanoma skin and lip cancer. Use sun protection and show your doctor any new skin lesion.

Can I split a Diunorm tablet?

Yes. The tablet has a score line and can be divided into equal doses, e.g. when a maintenance dose of 12.5 mg (half a tablet) is prescribed.

Sources

• ALIMS – Summary of Product Characteristics, DIUNORM® 25 mg tablets (SmPC, Serbian)
• ALIMS – Patient information leaflet, DIUNORM® 25 mg tablets (PIL, Serbian)

Sources checked on: 25 October 2026.