Is taking a water pill everyday bad for you?

Diuretics are generally safe. Side effects include increased urination and sodium loss. Diuretics can also affect blood 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.

Can diuretics be used long term?

Long-term diuretic treatment was well tolerated, and caused remarkably few significant untoward reactions. The unfavorable metabolic response to diuretic treatment may, however, cancel part of the potential benefit of blood pressure control in certain patients.

How long does it take for water pills to clean out your system?

Generally it takes 5.5 half-lives for a drug to be removed from the body, when it is deemed to no longer have an effect. Therefore for Hydrochlorothiazide, if we use the longest half-life, it would take approximately 82.5 hours (5.5 x 15 hours) which is approximately 3.5 days to be removed from your system.

Can your body become dependent on diuretics?

Idiopathic edema patients abusing diuretics are occasionally becoming dependent to such a degree on increasing doses of diuretics that their withdrawal results in severe cardiorespiratory failure, occasionally even pulmonary edema.

Should you drink more water when taking water pills?

The water that comes out of your body has to go somewhere, so you can expect to be peeing more and more often for several hours after a dose. You also run the risk of getting dehydrated, and simply drinking more fluids may not be enough.

Should I drink more water when taking hydrochlorothiazide?

Be careful not to become overheated or dehydrated in hot weather while taking hydrochlorothiazide. Talk to your doctor about how much fluid you should be drinking; in some cases drinking too much fluid is just as harmful as not drinking enough fluids.

What happens when you stop taking water pills?

When diuretics are withdrawn the patient develops rebound retention of sodium and water and oedema, which convinces the doctor that the diuretics are necessary, and the patient is then committed to a lifetime exposure to diuretics. Some patients with heart failure do need to continue with diuretic treatment.

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.

Are water pills hard on your kidneys?

Diuretics. Doctors use these medicines, also known as water pills, to treat high blood pressure and some kinds of swelling. They help your body get rid of extra fluid. But they can sometimes dehydrate you, which can be bad for your kidneys.

Do water pills make you pee a lot?

Water pills can affect your routine. Your kidneys will make more urine (pee). You will need to use the bathroom more often. To avoid getting up at night, take your medication at least six hours before bedtime.

What happens if you take a water pill at night?

Taking a water pill in the evening can lead to disturbed sleep due to a need to urinate throughout the night. Drink an adequate amount of water to prevent dehydration. Through the course of the day, you must ensure you consume water to prevent adverse reactions.

Can a water pill reduce electrolyte in the body?

Yes, water pills can reduce potassium and electrolyte levels in the body, which is why many water pills contain potassium, calcium and b vitamins.

What was the first disease treated with a water pill?

Syphilis was the first major disease that was treated with the therapy of diuresis and the results were recorded. There was a higher level of urinary expulsion of salt from the body. Vogl published his findings in 1920 and water pills were introduced into the medical landscape.

Do you need to take water pills to lose weight?

The pills only serve to get rid of excess water and have no effect on reducing fat content. There is no research to back the claims that water pills reduce body fat, and medical professionals have warned that abusing water pills to lose weight will have the opposite effect.

How are water pills safe for long-term use?

Are water pills safe for long-term use? 1 Water pills don’t cure water retention, they just force your kidneys… 2 Dehydration is harmful. Can you have water retention and dehydration at the same time? 3 Harmful effects of water pills. All water pills, even natural ones, can cause dehydration. 4 Instead of taking water pills, find out…

Who are the medical experts on water pills?

We tapped a couple of experts—Neeru Bakshi, MD and Tara Condell—to get their medical stance on the topic. The general consensus: Tread carefully, and, if you are looking into water pills, be sure to only take them under a doctor’s supervision.

Can you take water pills for water retention?

Water pills don’t cure water retention, they just force your kidneys to extract more water from your blood. However you only have too much water in your blood when you have a serious disease. If you have a metabolic imbalance, the water retention is not in your blood but in your tissues. Water pills cannot extract water from your tissues.

What happens to your body when you take a water pill?