
What are the side effects of taking a diuretic?
Usual side effects of diuretics include:
- Peeing more than usual.
- Dizziness.
- Tiredness.
- Headache.
- Gout.
- Difficulty getting an erection.
- Low potassium (unless you’re taking a potassium-sparing type of diuretic).
- Muscle cramps.
- Heart palpitations.
- Higher blood sugar in people with diabetes.
Can you take creatine while using diuretics?
Taking creatine with diuretics may increase the risk of dehydration and kidney damage. Taking creatine while taking Tagamet may increase the risk of kidney damage. Using creatine along with any medication that affects the kidneys may raise the risk of kidney damage.
Can you stop taking a diuretic?
You may be able to stop taking furosemide, a diuretic used to treat edema (fluid retention), when your edema improves. Furosemide is also used to treat high blood pressure. If this is why you're taking it, your doctor may have you continue indefinitely. Do not stop taking furosemide without talking to your doctor.
Is it good to take diuretics before surgery?
Diuretics: If the patient is taking a diuretic for treatment of hypertension, consider holding the diuretic on the morning of surgery in order to avoid dehydration while the patient is NPO. However, if the patient has severe liver disease or congestive heart failure, it may be best to continue diuretic therapy.

Do thiazide diuretics cause kidney damage?
Do thiazides cause renal injury? Both clinical and population-based studies have reported that diuretics usage are not renal protective, but rather are associated with acceleration of renal disease in the population.
What is the safest diuretic?
TUESDAY, Feb. 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Patients taking a common diuretic to help lower blood pressure may be better off with a similarly effective but safer one, a new study suggests. Current guidelines recommend the drug chlorthalidone (Thalitone) as the first-line diuretic.
What is a side effect of a thiazide diuretic?
Sulfonamide allergy. Thiazide diuretics are sulfa-containing drugs. Patients with sulfa allergies taking thiazides may experience headaches, rash, hives, swelling of the mouth and lips, wheezing or trouble breathing, asthma attack, and anaphylaxis.
Who should not take a thiazide diuretic?
People who have diabetes may have increased blood sugar levels when taking thiazide diuretics. It is not recommended to use thiazide diuretics with dofetilide (Tikosyn), a drug used for treating abnormal heart rhythms, as this may increase the blood levels of dofetilide (Tikosyn) and cause abnormal heart rhythms.
What is the most effective natural diuretic?
The 8 Best Natural Diuretics to Eat or DrinkCoffee. Share on Pinterest. ... Dandelion Extract. Dandelion extract, also known as Taraxacum officinale or “lion's tooth,” is a popular herbal supplement often taken for its diuretic effects ( 4 , 5 ). ... Horsetail. ... Parsley. ... Hibiscus. ... Caraway. ... Green and Black Tea. ... Nigella Sativa.
What is a natural alternative to hydrochlorothiazide?
A 2014 study found that horsetail extract had the same diuretic effects as prescription medications, but with fewer side effects. Horsetail may be a good alternative to prescription diuretics, especially if you've had problems with side effects. Horsetail is also available as a tea.
Who should not take diuretics?
Ask your doctor if you should avoid or be cautious using diuretics if you:Have severe liver or kidney disease.Are dehydrated.Have an irregular heartbeat.Are in the third trimester of pregnancy and/or have developed high blood pressure during your pregnancy.Are age 65 or older.Have gout.More items...•
What should I watch with thiazide diuretics?
Side effects If you take a thiazide diuretic, your potassium level can drop too low (hypokalemia), which can cause life-threatening problems with your heartbeat. If you're on a potassium-sparing diuretic, you can have too much potassium in your blood. Other possible side effects of diuretics include: Dizziness.
What is the best diuretic for high blood pressure?
One of the most commonly prescribed thiazide-like diuretics is chlorthalidone. Studies show that it may be the best diuretic to control blood pressure and prevent death.
What is a natural diuretic?
Some herbs and dietary supplements may help you excrete water (diuretic) and help with sodium and water retention. Examples include dandelion, ginger, parsley, hawthorn and juniper.
What are the dangers of taking hydrochlorothiazide?
Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. Check with your doctor right away if you have seizures, decreased urine, drowsiness, dry mouth, excessive thirst, increased heart rate or pulse, muscle pains or cramps, nausea or vomiting, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
How long does it take for thiazide to lower blood pressure?
Plasma and ECF volumes almost fully recover within 4–6 weeks of thiazide initiation, yet blood pressure reduction is maintained [8,11]. After chronic administration, discontinuation of thiazides result in a decrease in renin levels and rapid volume replenishment, although the rise in blood pressure is much slower [12].
Is there a natural diuretic for water retention?
Some herbs and dietary supplements may help you excrete water (diuretic) and help with sodium and water retention. Examples include dandelion, ginger, parsley, hawthorn and juniper.
Which diuretic is best?
Thiazide diuretics are recommended as one of the first drug treatments for high blood pressure.
Who should not take diuretics?
Ask your doctor if you should avoid or be cautious using diuretics if you:Have severe liver or kidney disease.Are dehydrated.Have an irregular heartbeat.Are in the third trimester of pregnancy and/or have developed high blood pressure during your pregnancy.Are age 65 or older.Have gout.More items...•
What should you avoid when taking diuretics?
On the other hand, if you're taking a potassium-sparing diuretic, such as amiloride (Midamar), spironolactone (Aldactone), or triamterene (Dyrenium), they may want you to avoid potassium-rich foods, salt substitutes, low-sodium milk, and other sources of potassium.
What are thiazide diuretics?
A diuretic is a medicine which increases the amount of water that you pass out from your kidneys. (A diuretic causes an increase in urine, called a diuresis.) So, they are sometimes called 'water tablets'. There are different types of diuretics which work in different ways and thiazide diuretics are one type of diuretic.
How does thiazide work?
They do this by interfering with the transport of salt and water across certain cells in the kidneys.
What is a loop diuretic?
They are also used to clear fluid from the body in conditions where your body accumulates too much fluid, such as heart failure. (However, a type of diuretic called a loop diuretic is more commonly used to treat heart failure.)
How to report a side effect?
The Yellow Card Scheme is used to make pharmacists, doctors and nurses aware of any new side-effects that medicines or any other healthcare products may have caused. If you wish to report a side-effect, you will need to provide basic information about: 1 The side-effect. 2 The name of the medicine which you think caused it. 3 The person who had the side-effect. 4 Your contact details as the reporter of the side-effect.
Can thiazide cause blood sugar to rise?
Common or serious possible side-effects include: A possible increase in your blood sugar level. Some people with diabetes may need more treatment to keep the blood sugar level normal. A possible increase in the level of uric acid.
What are some examples of diuretics?
Examples of diuretics. There are three types of diuretics: Thiazide. Loop. Potassium sparing. Each type affects a different part of your kidneys. Some pills combine more than one type of diuretic or combine a diuretic with another blood pressure medication.
What is the name of the pill that helps you get rid of salt?
Find out how they work and when you might need them. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Diuretics , sometimes called water pills, help rid your body of salt (sodium) and water. Most of them help your kidneys release more sodium into your urine.
Can thiazide be used for high blood pressure?
When diuretics are used. Thiazide diuretics are recommended as one of the first drug treatments for high blood pressure. If diuretics aren't enough to lower your blood pressure, your doctor might add other blood pressure medications to your treatment plan.
Can thiazide cause low potassium levels?
If you take a thiazide diuretic, your potassium level can drop too low (hypokalemia), which can cause life-threatening problems with your heartbeat. If you're on a potassium-sparing diuretic, you can have too much potassium in your blood. Other possible side effects of diuretics include: Dizziness. Headaches.
What are Thiazide diuretics?
Thiazide diuretics are a type of diuretic (a drug that increases urine flow). They act directly on the kidneys and promote diuresis (urine flow) by inhibiting the sodium/chloride cotransporter located in the distal convoluted tubule of a nephron (the functional unit of a kidney). Thiazides decrease sodium reabsorption which increases fluid loss in urine, which in turn decreases extracellular fluid and plasma volume. This reduces cardiac output (how hard the heart has to work to pump blood around the body) and lowers blood pressure. Thiazides also work in other ways to lower blood pressure. Thiazides also cause potassium loss while retaining calcium.
Why are thiazides used for blood pressure?
Thiazides are usually used for their blood pressure lowering effects because their diuretic activity is relatively weak compared to some other types of diuretic (such as loop diuretics).
