The Best Diuretics in 2022

There are many reasons why a person decides to use diuretics. The most important thing is not to do it on your own whim. Any drug should be taken only as prescribed by a doctor. Therefore, with increased swelling, it is best to immediately contact a specialist for advice and an appropriate appointment. Only in this case, the diuretic will bring relief and will not harm health.

Diuretic drugs are not mandatory in a home medicine cabinet and, by and large, are not needed by an ordinary person. All representatives of this group have their own mechanism of action on the body and should be taken only in accordance with the indications. Only when absolutely necessary, diuretics can be taken on their own, in cases where it is impossible to consult a doctor in a timely manner. Therefore, if necessary, you can replenish the first-aid kit with diuretic drugs, for this we present you with a rating of the best diuretics.

When to Use Diuretics

Disorders of the excretory system can be symptoms of various diseases. At the same time, an excess of fluid accumulates in the body, which negatively affects health and causes disorders and diseases. In these cases, diuretics are prescribed to remove excess water from the body.

In addition to medical purposes, diuretic drugs are used in sports medicine, in order to reduce weight and to solve some other problems. Often, diuretics are used as part of complex therapy in combination with drugs for other purposes.

Modern diuretic drugs affect either the process of urine formation in the kidneys, or the hormonal regulation of this process. They can also increase osmotic pressure, which is also a mechanism for regulating the amount of fluid in the body.

Recently, it has become popular to use diuretic drugs in order to reduce body weight. It is worth noting that such weight loss has an extremely negative effect on human health. Under the influence of diuretics, a lot of fluid is excreted from the body along with urine. Therefore, uncontrolled intake of drugs that are actually not needed by the body can cause dehydration.

In addition, in this case, a large amount of potassium is washed out, which affects the work of the heart muscle, leads to diseases of the liver, organs of the excretory system.In this regard, the use of diuretics for weight loss is strictly prohibited. In some cases, people with obesity may be prescribed herbal diuretics.

Due to the large amount of sodium in the body, edema is formed. They may indicate the presence of heart problems, endocrine system disorders, allergies or pregnancy. Most often, in this case, circles form under the eyes of a person, hands and feet begin to swell.

Quite often, edema occurs with high blood pressure. In this case, diuretics normalize the function of peripheral blood vessels, which is useful for normalizing pressure. With the help of the use of diuretics, it is possible in some cases to prevent the development of a hypertensive crisis or heart failure.

In some cases, the use of diuretics is advisable for acute chemical poisoning.

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Classification of diuretics

In medicine and pharmacology, all drugs with a diuretic effect are usually divided into several groups:

• The principle of action of saluretics is based on the fact that they provoke the excretion of potassium and sodium salts from the body, relieve vasospasm and thereby reduce the load on the heart muscle. Drugs from this group are most often prescribed to people with hypertension and heart failure, accompanied by severe edema.
• Potassium-sparing diuretics prevent excessive excretion of potassium from the body. They do not poison the body and are most often prescribed to people suffering from heart failure and edema.
• Osmotic drugs provoke an increase in pressure in the blood plasma.This achieves the effect of reducing swelling and improving blood flow. Such drugs are most often prescribed for cerebral edema, drug overdose or poisoning, or glaucoma.

How to take diuretics correctly

When using diuretics, their specificity is taken into account. Potent thiazide diuretics flush out sodium and chlorine from the body. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that over time, the strength of the effect of the drug does not weaken. The tablets begin to act 2 hours after consumption and the duration of exposure is 12 hours. It is recommended to take a 4-day break after taking a thiazide drug for a week. In the early days, the dosage should be minimal. Simultaneously with the use of a diuretic, a potassium-rich diet is administered.

Loop diuretics are also potent drugs. Their effect lasts 4 hours and begins one hour after ingestion. When using such diuretics, you need to carefully monitor the content of potassium in the body. It is best to use them once a day in the morning.

When taking potassium-sparing diuretics, you do not need to additionally use drugs with potassium. It is necessary to take such drugs 1 time per day. The effect usually occurs after 2 hours, but in some cases the effect may appear after 2 days.

Herbal diuretics are consumed after meals, adding juice or other suitable liquid that can change the taste. While a person is using herbal diuretics, all spices, marinades or sauces are prohibited. You also need to drink plenty of water.

The best diuretics

Now in pharmacies you can find a lot of diuretics, and to buy some of them it is not at all necessary to have a prescription from a doctor. The most commonly prescribed drugs are listed below.

Furosemide

This drug is available both in the form of tablets and in ampoules for injections. A drug called Furosemide is the most popular of this group of diuretics, but it also includes such potent substances as Bumetamide, Torsemide and others.

Furosemide is a potent diuretic, also referred to as a ceiling diuretic. Such drugs begin their effect on the body 40 minutes after oral administration or 5 minutes after intramuscular or intravenous injection. With the help of this drug, you can achieve a rapid decrease in blood pressure, reduce the load on the heart muscle, quickly remove fluid from edema of the renal or hepatic nature, remove the risk or eliminate the swelling of the lungs or brain that has already begun.

It must be borne in mind that Furosemide is not used to treat the disease. It is rather an emergency aid in an emergency situation, which is used once. The danger of taking the drug is that it very quickly removes important trace elements from the body. If there is a need for further use of Furosemide, then this is done under constant monitoring of the state of the blood and additional intake of potassium preparations.

• helps to quickly relieve swelling in a critical situation;
• very efficient;
• inexpensive;
• Available in both tablets and ampoules for injection.

• toxic;
• quickly removes potassium from the body;
• can only be used in emergency situations.

The average price for a pack of 50 tablets is 25 rubles.

Hypothiazide

This diuretic is a moderate diuretic. Its action begins half an hour after the use of the drug and lasts from 6 to 14 hours, depending on the health of the kidneys and the characteristics of the edema. Since the drug acts gently, it is used to treat heart diseases accompanied by swelling, along with other drugs.

Hypothiazide is useful in glaucoma, as a means of reducing intraocular pressure, and in chronic edema. It is usually prescribed in cases where it is required to maintain blood pressure at a certain level or reduce subcutaneous and internal edema. Hypothiazide is allowed to be used for a long time in course treatment if electrolyte levels are monitored in parallel.

• few contraindications;
• can be taken as a course;
• inexpensive;
• relieves severe swelling.

• high probability of developing side effects;
• can not be used during pregnancy;
• possible violation of the water-electrolyte balance and, as a consequence, the development of serious pathologies.

The average price of a pack of 25 tablets is 100 rubles.

Veroshpiron

Drugs of a similar action are Spironolactone and Nolaxen. This drug belongs to the group of potassium-sparing diuretics and is the least effective. The drug after use begins to act gradually, showing the greatest effectiveness only on the 2nd day. At the same time, its effect is felt for a long time. Even a few days after stopping the use of Veroshpiron, there is still a diuretic effect.

Veroshpiron is usually prescribed in combination with other diuretic drugs to compensate for the loss of mineral salts caused by stronger diuretics. Due to its implicit effect, Veroshpiron is not used as an independent drug that reduces puffiness.

Due to the slow excretion of urine under the influence of Veroshpiron, stones in the bladder may develop. Therefore, people with urolithiasis or a predisposition to it should use Veroshpiron especially carefully.

• does not wash out potassium;
• compensates for the loss of mineral salts from other diuretics;
• inexpensive;
• lasting effect.

• causes the formation of stones in the bladder;
• may be addictive;
• acts slowly.

The average price of a pack of 20 tablets is 45 rubles.

The best natural diuretics

Due to the presence of an extensive list of contraindications, many diuretic drugs should not be used by some people. In this case, swelling can be treated with natural diuretics - medicinal herbs or diuretic products.

bearberry

Dried bearberry leaves can be bought at any pharmacy. This is a completely natural remedy with a bright diuretic effect. The main advantage of bearberry is that its correct use is limited to an extremely small list of contraindications. In addition, the herb has an anti-inflammatory effect on the genitourinary system. This allows you to achieve a decrease in swelling associated specifically with inflammatory kidney diseases.

It is not forbidden to use bearberry even for pregnant women or young mothers who are breastfeeding, if it becomes necessary to take diuretic drugs. In this case, it is necessary to drink bearberry for no longer than 5 days, after which a week-long break is made.

Some of the inconveniences include the fact that every day you have to brew a fresh portion of grass. In addition, bearberry herbal tea has a specific unpleasant taste. An infusion of this plant should not be taken if you are allergic to pollen.

• practically has no contraindications;
• completely natural remedy;
• effective;
• can be taken in courses;
• allowed during pregnancy and breastfeeding;
• inexpensive.

• unpleasant taste;
• you need to brew a fresh portion of the herb daily;
• not for pollen allergies.

The average price of a package of 50 grams is 50 rubles.

lingonberry leaves

Lingonberry leaf is used not only as a natural diuretic. It has a number of useful properties. Cowberry leaves are harvested in spring before flowering or in autumn after harvest. Cowberry not only relieves swelling of the legs and arms, removing unnecessary water from the body, it is useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the kidneys and biliary tract.For this, decoctions and infusions are made from lingonberry leaves.

• natural remedy;
• does not have side effects;
• relieves swelling;
• treats kidney diseases;
• inexpensive remedy.

• it is necessary to prepare a new portion each time;
• not a very pleasant taste.

The average price of a package of 100 gr is 50 rubles.

In addition to these herbs, watermelon, cranberries, grapes, parsley, dill, strawberries, rose hips, cherries, mint, green tea, horsetail and other fruits and herbs can be used as natural diuretics.

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