The influence of hydrochlorothiazide and tripamide on serum and urinary amylase

Pancreatitis and asymptomatic elevations of serum amylase have been reported after therapy with thiazide diuretics. In the current study, the effects of hydrochlorothiazide and tripamide treatment on serum and urinary amylase excretion were investigated in 12 hypertensive volunteers. Two patients developed modest elevations of the serum amylase above the normal range after 12 weeks of treatment with hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg daily, but the mean serum amylase did not change. Hydrochlorothiazide did not produce a statistically significant increase in urinary amylase excretion but did reduce the ratio of salivary amylase/creatinine clearance in a two-hour urine collection. Tripamide 10 mg daily had no effect on serum or urinary amylase.