Dorothy FarrarDiuretics
The term diuretics (singular: diuretic) describes various active ingredients that promote the flushing out of water from the body via the kidneys (diuresis). Diuretics have a wide range of medical uses and are used to treat a wide variety of ailments.
What are diuretics?
In principle, diuretics are diuretics, which means that the excretion of water by the kidneys is increased by the administration of these drugs. Medically, diuretics are used in kidney and cardiovascular diseases , among other things , to compensate for excessive blood volume.
They are also used in cases of poisoning , in order to flush toxic substances out of the body through increased urine production. There are both synthetically produced active ingredients with a diuretic effect and plants with the same effect. In medicine, almost exclusively synthetically produced active ingredients are used.
Medical application, effect and use
From a medical point of view, diuretics are used because of their urea-raising effect. This is useful in various areas.
The medical effect of diuretics lies primarily in the increased excretion of urine from the body and in the increased excretion of liquid through the kidneys.
This effect helps in this context against many different diseases and ailments.
Diuretics help with edema in the lungs or legs by flushing the excess water out of the body through the urine.
Diuretics are also used in liver cirrhosis , cardiac insufficiency and renal insufficiency .
Forms, groups and active ingredients
Diuretics can be divided into different groups depending on the medical application and effect in the body. Aldosterone antagonists are drugs that block the action of a hormone on the adrenal gland, thereby promoting urea production. They are mainly used for edema that occurs as a result of cardiac insufficiency.
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors are less effective than other diuretics. They are mainly used to lower the intraocular pressure when it increases. The unusual thing about this drug is that it can also be used to combat altitude sickness . The active ingredient in this group of diuretics is called acetazolamide.
Potassium -sparing diuretics cause increased excretion of sodium and decreased excretion of potassium via urea. They are used to treat hypertension. Hypertension refers to increased pressure in the human vascular system, such as high blood pressure . Amiloride and triametrene are the usual active ingredients in potassium-sparing diuretics.
Osmotic diuretics do not get into the body’s cells, but draw water out of the blood. They are only used in rare cases when it is necessary to excrete a large amount of fluid through the kidneys as quickly as possible. This can be the case, for example, with cerebral edema . The most common active ingredients in this group of diuretics are called mannitol and sorbitol.
Thiazide diuretics increase the excretion of sodium by the kidneys and can therefore have a blood pressure-lowering effect. They also inhibit the excretion of calcium. They are mainly used for hypertension and cardiac insufficiency. Hydrochlorothiazide and hydrochlorothiazide are the most common chemical components of thiazide diuretics.
Loop diuretics are extremely powerful diuretics. They act directly in the kidneys, on what is known as Henle’s loop, hence their name. They are mainly used for poisoning, edema and pulmonary edema, but are also used in other areas. The most common active ingredients are furosemide, turasemide and bumetanide.
Herbal, natural and pharmaceutical alternatives
There are also herbal alternatives to the chemical and synthetic diuretics mentioned above. However, these are rarely used in conventional medicine. This is mainly due to the fact that herbal diuretics often only show a much weaker effect than the usual preparations. Herbal and natural diuretics are mainly used as teas (in dried form) or as ready-to-use extracts.
Plants such as stinging nettles , dandelion, some birch leaves, and a few other plants contain diuretic active ingredients. Due to the relatively weak effect, they actually play no role in medicine.
Coffee was also said to have a diuretic effect for a long time. However, this is only partially correct. After drinking coffee, there is only a brief diuretic effect, which the body counteracts very quickly. Coffee is therefore unsuitable for a lasting diuretic effect. Alcohol also has a diuretic effect, but of course it is not used as a diuretic in medicine for this purpose.
Risks and side effects
Diuretics have few risks and side effects. They are usually very well tolerated. The diuretic effect means that the body may lose a lot of fluids. Patients should therefore drink enough or be supplied with fluids through infusions, since otherwise there could be circulatory problems , headaches and even dehydration as side effects in addition to thirst.
The increased urination can also lead to a salt deficiency in the body. This manifests itself in the form of calf cramps , seizures , confusion and, in the worst case, even cardiac arrhythmia . Other side effects of diuretics can include fatigue and vomiting . In addition, the blood can become thicker due to the loss of fluid in the body, so that there is an increased tendency to thrombosis . Diuretics can also cause low blood pressure .
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.