Most severe side effects of Ziac and Triamterene/Hydrochlorothiazide

In 1997, after a particularly difficult several years caring for a terminally ill family member, I was put on Ziac for high blood pressure.  Ziac is Bisprololan/ Hydrochlorothiazide.  I was on this particular drug for 11 years.  No blood work was ever done.  No one would take me off it and the data told me that if I just stopped cold turkey I could have a heart attack. In 2003, while working at the Post Office, I developed trouble with my hands.  I would have large pustules come up and break open leaving a horrible open sore.  I was sent to a Dermatologist or so I thought.  He said I was allergic to dyes in newspring.  I was supposedly allergic to cobalt, formaldyde, paraphenelediamine.  And the only thing to do was quit my job.  At this time, I was only 4 years away from retirement.  I chose to stay and suffer.  The Post Office did what they could to help.  I was given whatever I needed.  So for 4 years I wore white cotton gloves to contain the blood and surgical gloves over them to keep the blood off the mail.  I saw 4 doctors including an allergist for this condition.  Things came to a head in 2009 on a trip to visit my son.  I had reached the point where I could not even walk across a room.  I thought I was going into congestive heart failure.  When I got home, I called my doctor for an appointment.  I wanted a ball park figure as to how much time I had left.  The nurse, after asking my symptoms, told me that it was the blood pressure meds and to come in and confirm it.  The doctor agreed maybe I needed to get of the  meds.  He told me that they were low dose and I could just quit.  I called the pharmacist and he told me how to walk down off them.  By quitting cold turkey I could have triggered a heart attack.

I nixed taking anything for 6 years.  Then I let him talk me into taking Triamterene/Hydrochlorothiazide.  Notice anything about the two.  Both contained Hydrochlorothiazide.  So I got suckered again.  I diddled with it for about a year.  I would take one here and one there.  Finally, my sister pushed me into taking the daily.  Ok, I started in January.  By the end of January, my arms had  started chaping.  I blew it off to cold weather.  It just got worse.  So finally about a month ago, I went in to see the doctor.  By this time my arms looked like boiled lobster and hurt like hell.  As soon as he saw this, he said, "Oh, you can't take these meds at all."  He told me to quit taking them and they should be out of my system in about 2-3 weeks.  I was getting lots better.  That is until I used and anti-histimine cream on my arms.  Anyway, I will not be putting any more chemicals in my body.  I will take nothing.