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Treating High Blood Pressure: Diuretics
by Jim Bruce
Diuretics are the most commonly prescribed medicines for treating high blood pressure. This is especially true if you have borderline high blood pressure readings and are diagnosed with pre-hypertension. Diuretics are often referred to as "water pills" because they reduce the amount of salt and water in your body. In doing this, they help to lower your blood pressure.
How Diuretics Work
There are three types of diuretic medicines. These are the thiazide diuretics, potassium-sparing diuretics, and the loop-acting diuretics. Each type works a bit differently, but they all help in lowering the amount of salt and water in your body, thus reducing your blood pressure.
Thiazide diuretics reduce both salt and water in your body. They are also the only diuretic that dilates blood vessels. This widening of the blood vessels and arteries helps to further lower blood pressure. But, since potassium is in your system as a salt, they also cause your body to lose potassium. Hydrochlorothiazide, methyclothiazide, and metolazone are three such diuretics in the thiazide family. There are many more that your doctor might prescribe.
Potassium-sparing diuretics reduce the amount of water in your body, but not the salts. This means that unlike the other types of diuretics, these do not cause a reduction of potassium levels in your body. The three most commonly prescribed diuretics of this class are spironolactone, triamterene, and amiloride.
Loop-acting diuretics increase the flow of urine from the kidneys. This reduces the amount of water in your body, thus lowering your blood pressure. Common forms of loop-acting diuretics are bumetanide, torsemide, and furosemide.
Which of these diuretics and the dosage that your doctor will prescribe will depend upon a number of factors. Be sure to thoroughly talk over your medical history with your physician. Be sure to tell your doctor about every medicine, vitamin, or herbal supplement that you are taking because other medicines may increase or decrease the effect of diuretics. You want your physician to be aware of any interactions that might arise from his or her prescription of a diuretic.
What Else Should You Discuss With Your Doctor?
You should tell your doctor if you have any allergies to other medicines. Be sure to tell your physician if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant. Thiazide and loop-acting diuretics increase your blood sugar levels, so be sure and mention if you have diabetes. Loop-acting diuretics worsen a pancreatitis condition. If you have kidney problems, some diuretics might not be warranted. Thiazide diuretics will make lupus or gout become more of a problem if taken. While potassium-sparing diuretics will exaggerate menstrual problems.
What Are The Side Effects Of Diuretics?
As with all medicines that are prescribed by your doctor, diuretics may cause some side effects in you. The most common of these are overall weakness, muscle cramps, skin rash, vomiting, diarrhea, joint pain, dizziness or lightheadedness, and increased sensitivity to sunlight (with thiazide diuretics). Less common or rare side effects are impotence, decreased sexual desire, and irregular heart beat (arrhythmia).
Be sure and tell your doctor or health professional right away if you experience any of these side effects. Don't stop taking your medicine until you have talked with your doctor. To stop taking a diuretic once prescribed can make your condition worse.
| Disclaimer: |
The information in this High Blood Pressure section has been taken from a number of sources. It is meant to give you information about certain medicines, but it does not cover all of the possible uses, warnings, side effects, or interactions with other medicines and vitamin or herbal supplements.
This information should not be used as medical advice for individual medical problems. Please talk to your doctor, health professional, and/or your pharmacist for prescription or treatment instructions. |
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