Diuretics

Diuretics have been around for more than 60 years. The first one to get FDA approval was Acetazolamide in 1953. They are a very common prescription order filled for high blood pressure. They can remove excess sodium, and water from the body. These drugs modify the way the kidneys work to make them excrete quicker. They lower blood pressure because the sodium in your blood needs water to wash it away, and get rid of it from the body. Ever heard someone say eating too much salt makes you retain water? This is why. Diuretics can take some of the water out of your body along with the sodium, causing a decrease of pressure on the blood vessels and arteries since the liquid volume inside them decreases. In order to get rid of the excess water and sodium, they make your body urinate it out. They can increase urine output in as little as thirty minutes from the time the drug is ingested. This is usually effective for most people. And some doctors consider diuretics to be a go to first line of treatment for hypertension. In this article we will go over the side effects, safety, the length of time they are effective, and what drugs doctors often mix with them to lower blood pressure.

It is important to note that thiazide diuretics are usually most effective in lowering blood pressure in comparison with the other two types, which are Loop and Potassium-sparing. Diuretics are also prescribed for patients with kidney issues, liver issues, heart failure, and edema.

As far as effectiveness goes for hypertensive treatment, diuretics do seem to work for the larger majority of users. With some patients having blood pressure lowered for a maximum of twelve hours after ingestion of the drug. Effects on BP numbers can vary, with some users only seeing a 5 point drop in systolic and diastolic on average, to some users reporting an average of a 20 point drop in systolic and diastolic readings. However there are a lot of negative side effects from this drug when used as a long term treatment, and I will be covering them in the next few paragraphs.

Most of the common side effects of diuretics are the same routine ones we see over and over again with almost all blood pressure medications. Tiredness, dizziness, depression, insomnia, nausea, muscle cramps, muscle pain, too low blood sodium, too low potassium, gout, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, stomach aches, loss of appetite, eye pains, feeling weak, irregular heart beats, and skin rashes. The unique side effect of this drug is extreme dehydration.  

With the fluid draining effects of diuretics, it is not uncommon for patients using this drug to see extreme dehydration with long term use of it. Because the body needs a certain amount of water to stay hydrated and healthy, the constant effort of the diuretic to flush the water out can cause problems. Sometimes severe. It was discovered long ago that heart attacks and strokes are often brought on in the moment by dehydration. With that being said, obviously long term high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease are prerequisites for heart attacks and strokes. In an attempt to replenish the body, a very large water intake is necessary. Depending on the dosage of the drug taken by the patient, they may need to drink an extra two or three bottles of water per day to achieve optimal hydration. However it has been reported that some patients taking diuretics are still far too dehydrated even with the increased water intake. The darker the shade of yellow your urine is the more dehydrated you are. Remember many B vitamins can cause bright yellow urine so be careful not to confuse the two.

Headaches can occur when taking diuretics. The fact of the matter is although blood pressure can be lowered with the use of these drugs, it doesn’t mean the rest of the human body is going to like having less water present. There are a few theories as to why headaches happen on this drug, some experts think it is because brain tissue is not hydrated properly. And like a muscle that is not hydrated properly, it can lead to spasms. Another theory is that low sodium levels are causing the headache. And the last possibility is that high potassium levels are causing the headache. High potassium may be more likely to happen with potassium sparing diuretics, because thiazide diuretics actually deplete potassium from the body.

Diuretic use can cause kindey damage. The kidneys function best when rich in hydration. Often truck drivers develop kidney issues, and this is because they do not want to drink much water while they are on the road. That way they will not have to make as many pit stops and can reach their destination faster. The prolonged dehydration causes the kidneys to be under constant stress. The same goes for the use of diuretics. When taking diuretics, the physician prescribing them should be monitoring your kidneys through blood tests routinely. Many health care professionals fail to do this. This must be done in order to make sure kidney function is still within the acceptable levels after taking this drug. The higher dosage of diuretic taken, the more stress put on the kidneys. Patients have also reported back pain after taking this medication for a long period of time, and the back pain is usually related to kidney stress.

Although rare, liver issues have also been reported in patients taking diuretics. Especially if they have a pre-exisiting liver condition, or hepatitis. The only known diuretic to cause liver issues in a patient so far has been hydrochlorothiazide. However based on scientific research and clinical trials, it is possible this issue could be caused by the class of drug and not that drug specifically. It may just have appeared with the usage of this specific drug because of the fact that it is prescribed so frequently in comparison with other diuretics.

The final side effect we are going to talk about is a very rare but scary one. A few patients after starting diuretic regimens have actually gotten strokes and mini strokes. Now there is not much data out there about this, but patients have reported getting strokes or mini strokes right after starting their diuretics. The details can get a little fuzzy because it is possible some patients were already on the verge of getting a stroke because of their pre-exisiting cardiovascular issues. However strokes are often initially brought on by dehydration in the moment, as we talked about in the beginning of this article.

There are many different brands of diuretics out there, and each of them may effect you in different ways. It is important to do plenty of research before starting any of these drugs. I hope this article helped you understand all the risks involved and can give you the knowledge to make an informed decision. Most of you reading this might have just been diagnosed with only slightly high blood pressure. I encourage you to read my natural high blood pressure remedies article if you have not already.