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diuretic
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A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from the body, through the kidneys. There exist several classes of diuretic, and each works in a distinct way. Alternatively, an antidiuretic, such as vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone), is an agent or drug which reduces the excretion of water in urine.
A diuretic is a substance that increases urine production, causing the body to excrete more water through the kidneys—which is why these medications are sometimes called "water tablets." Diuretics matter because they're used medically to help manage conditions where removing excess water from the body is beneficial, though different types work in distinct ways.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Drug class.Name
- Diuretics
- Drug class.Image
- Furosemid 125mg vials yellow background.jpg
- Drug class.Caption
- Furosemide 125 mg vials for intravenous application
- Drug class.Use
- Forced diuresis, hypertension
- Drug class.ATC_prefix
- C03
- Drug class.MeshID
- D004232
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
115,290 papers- Diuretic Therapy for Patients With Heart Failure: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.ReviewJournal of the American College of Cardiology · 2020Felker GM, Ellison DH, Mullens W et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.12.059
- Update in diuretic therapy: clinical pharmacology.ReviewSeminars in nephrology · 2011Brater DCDOI: 10.1016/j.semnephrol.2011.09.003
- Pathophysiology of Diuretic Resistance and Its Implications for the Management of Chronic Heart Failure.ReviewHypertension (Dallas, Tex. : 1979) · 2020Wilcox CS, Testani JM, Pitt BDOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.120.15205
- Urinary sodium analysis: The key to effective diuretic titration? European Journal of Heart Failure expert consensus document.ReviewEuropean journal of heart failure · 2025Meekers E, Dauw J, Ter Maaten JM et al.DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.3632
- Diuretic Treatment in Patients with Heart Failure: Current Evidence and Future Directions - Part I: Loop Diuretics.ReviewCurrent heart failure reports · 2024Cuthbert JJ, Clark ALDOI: 10.1007/s11897-024-00643-3
- Diuretic Resistance in Heart Failure.ReviewCurrent heart failure reports · 2019Gupta R, Testani J, Collins SDOI: 10.1007/s11897-019-0424-1
- Diuretic therapy in congestive heart failure.ReviewActa cardiologica · 2022Kennelly P, Sapkota R, Azhar M et al.DOI: 10.1080/00015385.2021.1878423
- Diuretic Combination Therapy in Acute Heart Failure: An Updated Review.ReviewCurrent pharmaceutical design · 2024Villaschi A, Pellegrino M, Condorelli G et al.DOI: 10.2174/0113816128316596240625110337
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
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- Commons category
- Diuretics
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~12 min read
Article
15 sectionsContents
- Medical uses
- Types
- High-ceiling/loop diuretics
- Thiazides
- Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
- Potassium-sparing diuretics
- Calcium-sparing diuretics
- Osmotic diuretics
- Low-ceiling diuretics
- Mechanism of action
- Adverse effects
- Abuse in sports
- See also
- References
- External links
A diuretic () is any substance that promotes diuresis, the increased production of urine. This includes forced diuresis. A diuretic tablet is sometimes colloquially called a water tablet. There are several categories of diuretics. All diuretics increase the excretion of water from the body, through the kidneys. There exist several classes of diuretic, and each works in a distinct way. Alternatively, an antidiuretic, such as vasopressin (antidiuretic hormone), is an agent or drug which reduces the excretion of water in urine.
== Medical uses == In medicine, diuretics are used to treat heart failure, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, influenza, water poisoning, and certain kidney diseases. Some diuretics, such as acetazolamide, help to make the urine more alkaline, and are helpful in increasing excretion of substances such as aspirin in cases of overdose or poisoning. Diuretics are sometimes abused by athletes who seek to excrete water for quick weight loss and/or to mask their use of banned substances, and by people with eating disorders, especially people with bulimia nervosa, who seek to lose weight.