Used to treat people with hypertension, the thiazide-like agent chlorthalidone should be preferred over hydrochlorothiazide, according to the author of an opinion article. If the point-of-care randomized Diuretic Comparison Project confirms in a head-to-head comparison what is already known about these agents, the author believes “there would be little reason to continue using hydrochlorothiazide as a preferred thiazide diuretic.”
Chlorthalidone “is long-acting, three times as potent as hydrochlorothiazide, and compared to hydrochlorothiazide more effectively reduces blood pressure when combined with an angiotensin receptor blocker,” the author writes. “Chlorthalidone is associated with better cardiovascular outcomes compared with amlodipine or lisinopril-based initial therapies in high-risk middle-aged and elderly people.”