Best diuretics in 2024

There can be many reasons why a person decides to use diuretics. The most important thing is not to do it on a whim. Any drug should only be taken as directed 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 not harm your health.

Diuretic drugs are not required in the home medicine cabinet and by and large are not needed by the average 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, you can take diuretics on your own, in cases where it is impossible to consult a doctor in a timely manner. Therefore, if necessary, you can replenish your first aid kit with diuretics, 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. In this case, 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, for weight loss and for solving some other problems. Diuretics are often used as part of complex therapy in combination with drugs for other purposes.

Modern diuretic drugs affect either the formation of urine in the kidneys, or 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 forms. They may indicate the presence of heart problems, endocrine disorders, allergies or pregnancy.Most often, in this case, a person forms circles under the eyes, arms and legs begin to swell.

Quite often, edema occurs with high blood pressure. In this case, diuretic drugs normalize the function of peripheral blood vessels, which is useful for normalizing blood pressure. With the help 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 in acute chemical poisoning.

Read more about diuretics in the video:

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 vascular spasms 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 excess potassium excretion from the body. They do not poison the body, and more often than others are prescribed to people suffering from heart failure and edema.
• Osmotic drugs provoke an increase in blood plasma pressure. This achieves the effect of reducing swelling and improving blood flow. These drugs are most often prescribed for cerebral edema, overdose or drug poisoning, or glaucoma.

How to take diuretics correctly

When using diuretics, take into account their specifics. Potent thiazide diuretics flush sodium and chlorine from the body. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that over time, the strength of the action of the drug does not weaken. The tablets take effect 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 diet rich in potassium is introduced.

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 potassium content in the body. It is best to consume 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 once a day. The effect usually occurs after 2 hours, but in some cases the effect may appear even after 2 days.

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

The best diuretics

Many diuretics can be found in pharmacies now, and some of them do not require a doctor's prescription to buy. The most commonly prescribed drugs are presented 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 called overhead. 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 with renal or hepatic edema, remove the risk or eliminate the already begun pulmonary or brain edema.

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 effective;
• inexpensive;
• Available in both tablets and ampoules for injection.

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

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

Hypothiazide

This diuretic is a moderately effective diuretic. Its action begins half an hour after taking 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 is mild, it is used to treat heart disease accompanied by swelling, along with other drugs.

Hypothiazide is beneficial in glaucoma, as a means of lowering 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 the course of treatment if electrolyte levels are monitored in parallel.

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

• there is a high probability of developing side effects;
• should not be consumed during pregnancy;
• possible violation of water-electrolyte balance and, as a result, the development of serious pathologies.

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

Veroshpiron

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

Usually, Veroshpiron is 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 elimination of urine under the influence of Veroshpiron, stones in the bladder can develop. Therefore, people with urolithiasis or a predisposition to it need to use Veroshpiron especially carefully.

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

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

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

The best natural diuretics

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

Bearberry

You can buy dried bearberry leaves at any pharmacy. It is a completely natural remedy with a powerful 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 reduction in swelling associated specifically with inflammatory kidney disease.

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 weekly break is taken.

Some of the inconveniences include the fact that you will have to brew a fresh portion of the herb every day. In addition, herbal bearberry tea has a specific unpleasant taste. The 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 if you are allergic to pollen.

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

Lingonberry leaves

Lingonberry leaf is not only used as a natural diuretic. It has a number of beneficial properties. Lingonberry leaves are harvested in the spring before flowering or in the fall after harvest. Lingonberry 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. To do this, decoctions and infusions are made from lingonberry leaves.

• natural remedy;
• has no side effects;
• relieves edema;
• treats kidney disease;
• inexpensive tool.

• it is necessary to prepare a new portion each time;
• taste not too good.

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

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

An alternative to pharmacy diuretics can be made up of everyday products - more in the video: