'Users of water tablets have a higher risk of skin cancer'
Many older Dutch people in Thailand use a water tablet against high blood pressure, heart failure and edema. It now appears that the combination of long-term use of hydrochlorothiazide (HCT) and a lot of sun increases the risk of the user developing two forms of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Hydrochlorothiazide is a water tablet that lowers blood pressure and improves the pumping power of the heart, but the Medicines Evaluation Board warns users based on research by the Danish Institute for Cancer Research.
Hydrochlorothiazide makes the skin more sensitive to the harmful UV rays of sunlight and tanning beds. Users of the water tablets must therefore be extra careful. The Board does not advise against the drug, but patients and practitioners must be alert to signs that are related to skin cancer. Skin cancer is most common in areas of the body that get a lot of sun, such as the face, torso, hands, arms and legs. Each type of skin cancer looks different.
The use of the drug should be reconsidered in patients who have had skin cancer before. The risk of getting skin cancer again is extra high for this group.
Stopping the medication yourself is not desirable, always discuss this with a doctor first.
Source: NU.nl
Thank you for this good information.
Don't let yourself resistlessly split all kinds of pills in the stomach before you've tried to solve problems differently! True happened! : My wife (70) feels a bit rushed and asks for a blood pressure measurement at the gym. Upper pressure 180 so don't exercise that evening. General practitioner --> 24 hour blood pressure monitor -->> Result is quite high on average ---> Water tablets are already ready at the pharmacy --> Canceled! Instead I immediately bought my own blood pressure monitor and immediately went on a completely salt-free diet———> the result is now the blood pressure of a young girl. Have been eating almost salt-free for a year now and I must say that with herbs etc. you don't miss the salt. Will not apply to everyone, but if salt is the main culprit in someone, leaving it out can work wonders and yield both financial and health benefits on an annual basis.