Jump to: What is bendroflumethiazide? | What is Mounjaro? | Why take Mounjaro with bendroflumethiazide? | Take home message
You can take Mounjaro with bendroflumethiazide if you have high blood pressure and a BMI over 27.
However, the combination requires careful monitoring as both medications can affect blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
No direct interactions between these medications have been reported in clinical trials, but caution is needed as they can cause similar side effects that might be heightened when combined.
There’s a potential risk of experiencing low blood pressure (hypotension) when taking both medications, as Mounjaro and bendroflumethiazide can each lower blood pressure through different mechanisms.
Your doctor may need to adjust your bendroflumethiazide dose if you start taking Mounjaro, as research shows that Mounjaro itself can reduce blood pressure significantly.
If you’re taking both medications, watch for signs of very low blood pressure, including:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially when standing up
- Feeling faint or fainting
- Blurred vision or difficulty focusing
- Unusual tiredness or weakness
- Rapid heartbeat
- Cold, clammy skin
Additionally, both medications can affect your blood sugar levels. Bendroflumethiazide might decrease your tolerance to carbohydrates, while Mounjaro works to lower blood sugar levels.
The combined effect of both drugs on our blood sugar levels is unclear.
What is bendroflumethiazide?
Bendroflumethiazide is a thiazide diuretic medication commonly prescribed in the UK to treat high blood pressure and fluid retention.
It works by increasing the amount of water and salt removed from your blood through your kidneys, which helps reduce blood pressure and any excess fluid in your body.
The standard dose for high blood pressure is typically 2.5mg, taken once daily in the morning, while higher doses might be prescribed for fluid retention.
How effective is bendroflumethiazide?
Clinical research has shown that bendroflumethiazide can help manage blood pressure in most patients when taken as prescribed.
One study showed that 2.5 mg of bendroflumethiazide lowered diastolic blood pressure by 9.1 mm Hg after 6 months of treatment.
It’s often taken alongside potassium chloride as potassium helps the body excrete excess sodium out of the body.
It typically takes 3-4 days for the medication to effectively lower blood pressure, though some patients might notice changes in fluid retention sooner.
What is Mounjaro?
Mounjaro is a dual-action weight-loss injection.
It supports weight loss by mimicking two hormones, GLP-1 and GIP, that communicate with the brain’s appetite control centre, the hypothalamus, to lower hunger and food-seeking behaviour.
By lowering hunger and our desire to eat, Mounjaro helps us eat fewer calories to achieve a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit occurs when we consume fewer calories than our body needs to fuel its essential functions, such as digestion, blood flow, and brain function.
By creating a calorie deficit, our bodies will ‘burn’ the excess fat stored for energy, and we’ll lose weight.
Mounjaro also slows down the rate at which we digest food so that our stomach and gut send signals to the brain to signal the feeling of fullness.
So, Mounjaro supports weight loss by making us feel less hungry through two mechanisms:
- Communicating with the brain’s appetite control centre
- Slowing the rate that food is digested
Randomised controlled trials have shown that Mounjaro leads to an average weight loss of around 26% after one year.
Why take Mounjaro with bendroflumethiazide?
People living with obesity have an increased risk of developing high blood pressure.
Research from Framingham (a longitudinal cardiovascular study of over 5,000 adults in the U.S.) showed that people living with a BMI of over 30 had 16 mmHg higher systolic and 9 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure compared to those with a BMI below 25.
While there’s a connection between obesity and blood pressure, it’s more likely due to the lifestyle that leads to obesity that’s causing higher blood pressure than it solely being a direct effect of having excess body fat.
Poor diet, a lack of physical activity, poor sleep, and stress can all lead to higher blood pressure, and many people living with obesity have normal blood pressure, much like many people who are a ‘healthy’ weight will be living with high blood pressure, despite lower levels of body fat.
Still, research has shown that losing weight (or the process of getting healthier to support weight loss) consistently reduces blood pressure.
Additionally, randomised controlled trials have shown that tirzepatide (the drug in Mounjaro) significantly reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure by around 7 mmHg and 4 mmHg.
The number of participants on Mounjaro with elevated blood pressure significantly reduced during this trial, and the percentage of participants with normal blood pressure increased from 30.2% to 58% after 72 weeks of treatment.
So, if you’re currently living with obesity and high blood pressure, Mounjaro may help you lose weight and have the complimentary benefit of lowering blood pressure.
Combining the two drugs may also lead to very low blood pressure, particularly when adjusting doses.
It’s worth monitoring the response to both medications; your doctor may wish to alter your bendroflumethiazide dose if you start taking Mounjaro.
Take home message
While you can take Mounjaro with bendroflumethiazide, this combination requires careful monitoring and potential dose adjustments under medical supervision.
Both medications can effectively support your health goals. Still, their combined effects on blood pressure and blood sugar must be monitored as no clinical trials have been conducted to analyse the impact of the drugs taken together.
We recommend letting your doctor know if you start taking bendroflumethiazide with Mounjaro.
Second Nature’s medication programmes
Second Nature has two medication-supported programmes: a Wegovy weight-loss programme and a Mounjaro weight-loss programme.
Why should you choose Second Nature over other medication providers if you’ve decided to try Mounjaro or Wegovy (assuming you’re eligible)?
For peace of mind.
Second Nature has worked with the NHS for over 6 years, providing weight-loss programmes across the UK.
While our Wegovy and Mounjaro weight-loss programmes are private and not currently used by the NHS, we’ve built the programmes focusing on scientific evidence, patient safety, and data security.
We hope that our 6+ years of working with the NHS and building a track record of effective weight-loss results will give you peace of mind to give us a try.
