Acetazolamide (Diamox®, discontinued)
Type of medication: Rx, Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitor. Used to reduce pressure in the eye to treat glaucoma. Also used to treat the symptoms of altitude sickness, reduce edema, and control the seizures of certain types of epilepsy. It is often used to treat Pseudotumor Cerebri, aka Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.How supplied: tablets, time-release capsules, injection. (The brand name is now discontinued.)
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding:
- FDA pregnancy category C. Animal studies show adverse fetal effect(s) but no controlled human studies OR no animal or human studies; weigh possible fetal risk vs. maternal benefit; see package insert for drug-specific recommendations.
- Lactation: Safe: Substantial human data demonstrates no risk/minimal risk to infant/breast milk or medication not orally bioavailable to infant; medication usually compatible with breastfeeding.
Other medications:
Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medications, especially those listed below.
- aspirin and aspirin-like products
- amphetamines
- cyclosporine (Sandimmune)
- mecamylamine (Inversine)
- lithium (Lithobid, Eskalith, etc.)
- primidone (Mysoline)
- quinidine (Quinidex)
- methenamine (Mandelamine)
Other medical conditions:
Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially those listed below.
- type 2 diabetes
- emphysema or other chronic lung diseases
- kidney stones or disease
- liver disease
- any hormonal disease
Potential side effects:
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
- Rare
- shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following occur:
- Symptoms of potassium loss
- dry mouth
- increased thirst
- irregular heartbeat
- mood change
- muscle pain or spasm
- nausea, vomiting
- tiredness, weakness
- Any changes in vision when beginning medication, especially distance vision.
- More common
- unusual weakness or tiredness
- Less common
- blood in urine
- decrease in urine output
- difficulty urinating
- lower back pain
- Rare
- black, tarry or bloody stools
- blood in urine
- buzzing or ringing in ears
- difficulty urinating
- depression
- clumsiness
- confusion
- dark urine
- fever
- hives
- itching
- jaundice
- rash
- pale stools
- seizures
- sore throat
- tremor
- unusual bleeding or bruising
Other side effects may occur that don't usually require medical attention. They may dissipate as your body adjusts to the medication. However, consult your doctor if any of the following continue or are bothersome or worrisome:
- More common:
- diarrhea
- increased frequency of urination
- increased urine output
- loss of appetite
- tingling in extremities, mouth, lips, or tongue
- weight loss
- Less common or rare:
- constipation
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- headache
- increased sensitivity to light
- loss of smell
- loss of taste
- nervousness
Brand Names:
- U.S.: Ak-Zol, Dazamide, Storzolamide, Diamox and Diamox Sequels (discontinued)
- Canada: Acetazolam, Apo-Acetazolamide, Diamox and Diamox Sequels (discontinued)
Important Note: Material on this page is for informational purposes
only. It does not replace the care of your own physician and should not in any
way be construed as medical advice. Always consult your physician and/or
pharmacist and consult the complete prescribing information when reading about
any medication.
