What should be considered when weaning? | Diuretics

What should be considered when weaning?

A diuretic is a dehydrating drug that can be given for various diseases. Some of these diseases are serious and the use of the diuretic is well-considered by your doctor, so it is not recommended to discontinue a diuretic independently without consultation. For example, in the case of a cardiac insufficiency, the heart can be heavily burdened by the increasing blood volume.If you discontinue a diuretic in consultation with your doctor, you should know that the so-called “rebound effect” can occur.

This means that after stopping the diuretic, the body may tend to store an excessive amount of water for a short time. This can lead to an increase in blood pressure or visible edema (water retention, often in the legs) for a few days. However, this effect is only short-term and after a few days a balance should be restored. It occurs particularly frequently after the use of loop diuretics.

Diuretics and gout

Gout is a disease characterized by an elevated level of uric acids in the blood. This uric acid can be deposited in joints, for example, and form crystals that can cause severe pain. When using diuretics, it is important to inform your doctor about past attacks of gout, as the level of uric acids in the blood can also rise as the body is drained.

Your doctor may then prescribe an additional medication against gout (e.g. Allopurinol) or increase the dosage. Depending on the reason for the diuretic administration, such as high blood pressure, he may also have recourse to other medications and avoid the use of diuretics. as well as diet for gout

Diuretics and Doping

Diuretics have been among the prohibited doping drugs since the 1988 Olympic Games. Here they are regarded as so-called masking agents, which means that athletes can use these diuretic drugs to disguise another doping substance in the urine. As a result, other stimulant drugs may not be detected in the urine – this is then a deception and thus prohibited.

Diuretics are also frequently used in sports that have weight classes. Boxers, for example, can use diuretics to excrete a lot of water shortly before the fight and thus become lighter – opening the way to a lower weight class. A similar situation can be observed in equestrian sports, where the rider’s lower weight can have a positive effect on the horse’s performance.

Diuretics are also used in bodybuilding before competitions because the loss of water can make the muscles appear even more defined. Excluded from the prohibition as a masking agent are of course athletes who use a diuretic due to a pre-existing condition such as heart disease. This must then be certified by a doctor.