Diuretics, better known as diuretics, are characterized by direct renal effects, but there are also some that play an important role in the treatment of hypertension. They also allow to eliminate swelling and even to deal with the problem of heart failure.
What are diuretics actually?
When we talk about diuretics we mean a group of drugs whose main task is to increase the excretion of both water and electrolytes together with urine. They differ in their construction, and their mechanisms and places of action do not always look the same.
It is not only the composition of diuretics that influences the action of diuretics. The way the patient's kidneys function and how their general health can be assessed is also very important. Among the drugs representing this group, there is no shortage of those that also have non-banking effects. They can be used not only in combination therapy, but also in so-called monotherapy.
When do you reach for diuretics?
Diuretics are drugs associated primarily with the treatment of hypertension. However, they can also be used to treat acute and chronic swelling and even heart failure. Sometimes we can also hear about their use as auxiliary drugs in the fight against poisoning and even diseases such as glaucoma and altitude disease.
Loop diuretics
Loop diuretics is the name for the most effective diuretics. They do not differ from one another due to their mechanism of action, and their effectiveness depends primarily on how much medication is administered to the patient. Their effectiveness makes doctors willing to use them in forced diuresis, although in this particular case special caution is postulated. If the growth of diuresis is too rapid, a serious haemodynamic disorder can occur.
The most famous representative of loop diuretics is Furosemid. This medicine acts violently, but for a short period of time, which means that the use of its possibilities should be extremely cautious. It is primarily a so-called first-line drug, which is administered in emergencies, i.e. those in which rapid and significant intervention is essential (e.g. in the hypertensive crisis and pulmonary oedema).
Thiazid diuretics
Medicines that belong to this group are most commonly used in the treatment of hypertension as diuretics. Because they contribute to the inhibition of the reabsorption of chloride ions, their use usually contributes to the disturbance of the water-electrolyte balance of the patient. Their trademark is also the fact that they are able to relax the smooth muscles of blood vessels. That is why their use contributes to lowering blood pressure. They are administered only orally as drugs that are well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract.
An example of a popular representative of this group of drugs is Hydrochlorothiazide. It is most often used in the treatment of hypertension. If this ingredient is administered in a lower dosage, it can be found in coated tablets, which are used for patients with heart failure.
