Best Diuretics

Diuretics are usually prescribed by a doctor for treating high blood pressure. But there are a number of OTC diuretics that can provide relief for the occasional bloating before and during menstruation. Let’s look at some of the uses, as well as the risks, of OTC diuretics.

Introduction

Diuretics, colloquially known as “water pills”, are designed to relieve the body of excess water and salt. They’re generally prescribed by a doctor as a treatment for high blood pressure, swelling in the extremities, or kidney problems. There may be other underlying conditions that require a doctor’s recommendation before taking a diuretic, both regarding whether a diuretic is necessary, and more importantly, whether it’s safe.

But there are also other instances where even an over-the-counter diuretic can provide relief. For example, women may suffer bloating and swelling of their arms and legs before and during menstruation. In some cases, women can gain as much as 10 pounds of weight due to water retention, before and during their period! For women who are otherwise in good health, a diuretic can provide welcome relief.

We’ll examine some of the different types of OTC diuretics that are available on the market so that you can make an informed choice from the MSN list of the 10 best diuretics.

What Types of Diuretics Are There?

Before we discuss the OTC diuretics, let’s look at the three major types of prescription diuretics:

• Thiazide-like: These work by dilating blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure and allows them to excrete excess fluid. These diuretics can be safely used for an extended period of time, to excrete a moderate amount of water.

• Loop diuretics: These diuretics are employed in people with impaired kidney function, cirrhosis of the liver, and edema (excess fluid) in the brain or lungs. They target the part of the kidney called the “Loop of Henle”.

• Potassium and Calcium-sparing diuretics: Diuretics help you excrete water and sodium, but you don’t want to lose important minerals such as potassium and calcium. They will help in cases of swelling in the limbs due to excess water but they aren’t intended to relieve high blood pressure. These diuretics are recommended for people with low potassium levels. Care must be taken not to take a potassium-sparing diuretic along with a diet that is high in potassium, or with potassium supplements. Too much potassium can cause an irregular heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, and other symptoms. If you take a potassium-sparing diuretic, you should avoid foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, and lentils, which themselves are rich in potassium.

What Are Some Typical Ingredients in OTC Diuretics?

What is surprising is that there are a number of foods that already have a diuretic effect. And extracts of these foods are actually used in many of the MSN Top Ten OTC diuretics. You may be familiar with the diuretic effect of coffee or tea, but some others will almost certainly come as a surprise:

• Coffee and green or black tea: Both of these contain caffeine, which is a natural diuretic. Tea also has theophylline, which enhances the effect of caffeine. Two or three cups of coffee should be enough to make you feel a need to urinate more often. But, you might build up a tolerance to the caffeine, so that you’ll need to drink more to see any effect!

• Dandelion leaves: Dandelions are high in potassium. This increased amount of potassium gives a signal to the kidneys to eliminate more sodium and water. But, as we mentioned, be careful not to take too much potassium.

• Parsley seed: Parsley tea is a folk remedy for its diuretic properties, and parsley seed extract is added to many diuretic supplements to increase the volume of urine.

• Horsetail: An extract from the Horsetail plant has been found in studies to allow the body to eliminate water without losing the important electrolytes such as potassium and calcium.

• Corn silk: This has been used in traditional medicine by Native Americans. It has been found to function as an antioxidant, a diuretic, and even can reduce blood sugar.

• Juniper berry: This is believed to increase kidney filtration and urine flow while helping to eliminate uric acid crystals that could cause gout or kidney stones. It can also help insulin production and lower blood sugar.

• Hibiscus: This removes salt from the body. Salt in the body tends to draw water into the body’s cells. Thus, hibiscus tea or extracts will help the body eliminate excess water. There are also indications that hibiscus can help prevent kidney stones from accumulating, and help detoxify your liver.

• Watermelon: It may seem counterintuitive, but even though watermelon is 92% water, eating watermelon can actually help your body excrete water! It has an amino acid, citrulline, that dilates blood vessels and allows your body to expel water.

What are the Types of OTC Diuretics?

Upon looking at the MSN list of the top 10 diuretics, you’ll see that they fall into several categories:

• Natural ingredients + Vitamin B6: Nature’s Craft Water Away uses many of the natural ingredients that we discussed above: dandelion leaf, green tea extract, juniper berries, cornsilk powder, watermelon powder, as well as Vitamin B6 and potassium. Vitamin B6 can help relieve bloating from water retention during premenstrual syndrome. B6 also helps the body create hemoglobin and thus helps prevent anemia.

Nature’s Craft Water Away

A similar product that contains almost the same formula as Water Away, along with calcium, magnesium, and potassium, is MHP Xpel Maximum Strength Diuretic Water Pills. These important minerals replenish electrolytes in your system so that you won’t suffer muslce cramps. It touts caffeine derived from green tea and Guarana, to also burn fat and provide energy.

MHP Xpel Maximum Strength Diuretic Water Pills

• Pamabrom: This is an over-the-counter drug made by Jig Chemical. One product that contains pamabrom is Diurex Max Water Pills. Diurex Max also contains a pain reliever for relieving menstrual cramps and bloating, as well as a diuretic to reduce the accumulation of water in your ankles and feet.

Diurex Max Water Pills

What are Warning Signs When Taking Diuretics?

As we have mentioned, prescription diuretics need to be taken with strict medical supervision. Your doctor is familiar with your medical history and is aware of any drug interactions that may adversely affect your health. But even the over-the-counter preparations can have side effects.

• Possible side effects and risks: Taking a diuretic can cause a rapid loss of water and electrolytes. If the change is too rapid, you may experience side effects such as:

  • Lightheadedness

  • Dizziness

  • Confusion

  • Tiredness

  • Thirst and dehydration

  • Blurred vision

  • Heart palpitations, such as a heart rate of over 100 beats per minute

  • Vomiting

There are electrolyte drinks that can help balance your system’s store of these important minerals. It should be stressed that you should consult a physician if you experience any of these symptoms.

• Not for weight loss: Also, although some women experience weight gain due to water retention, don’t expect diuretics to help you lose weight in the long term. After taking diuretics and losing weight due to excess water, your kidneys will allow your body to restore its equilibrium. You’ll gain back the normal amount of water for you to function properly.

Wrap Up

We looked at some of the OTC diuretics available on the market, and how they differ from prescription drugs. The OTC versions usually rely on natural ingredients that have a certain diuretic effect, without taxing the system too much. They can provide much-desired relief for PMS, menstrual cramps, and bloating. Look over the MSN list of the 10 most popular OTC diuretics, as well as other vitamin and mineral supplements, and select which you’ll think will work best for you.