can water pills harm you

Excess tiredness, muscle weakness, frequent urination, and excessive thirst are some of the common side effects of taking water pills. Diuretics, also known as water pills are commonly prescribed for the treatment of edema

, a condition that is typically marked by accumulation of excess fluids in the body tissues.

Full Answer

What are the side effects of water pills?

• Dark yellow or brown urine
• Dry mouth
• Excessive thirst
• Fatigue
• Dizziness

Can water pills hurt you?

Water pills aren't habit-forming or dangerous, says Anegawa—again, as long as you're getting them through your doctor. When you start taking them on your own without a recommended dosage, however, you could do some serious damage to your body.

Can water pills dehydrate you?

In addition to treating high blood pressure, these medicines are also known as water pills and are used to treat swelling in the body. Your body gets rid of extra fluid when you use them. It can sometimes dehydrate you, which can be bad for your kidneys if you drink too much of them.

What is the best over the counter water pill?

• Herbal preparations
• Over-the-counter drugs
• Vitamins
• Nutrition supplements

What are the side effects of taking water pills?

“Water Pills” Can Have Serious Side EffectsBloating and constipation.Nausea and Vomiting.Weakness and Fatigue.Muscle cramps.Muscle aches and stiffness.Tingling and Numbness.Heart palpitations.Chest pain.More items...•

When should you not take a water pill?

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.More items...•

What happens if I take too many water pills?

Furosemide is a strong diuretic (water pill) that helps your body get rid of excess water. It does this by increasing the amount of urine your body makes. If you take too much of this drug, it can lead to very low amounts of water and electrolytes in your body. This can cause dehydration.

Can you take a water pill everyday?

Diuretics ― also known as water pills ― are medicines that help you move extra fluid and salt out of your body. They make you pee more frequently, which is why you should take them in the morning if you can. You may need to take diuretics once or twice a day at the same time each day.

What happens when you stop taking water pills?

Conclusion: Withdrawal of long-term diuretic treatment in elderly patients leads to symptoms of heart failure or increase in blood pressure to hypertensive values in most cases. Any attempt to withdraw diuretic therapy requires careful monitoring conditions, notably during the initial four weeks.

What should you avoid when taking diuretics?

On the other hand, if you're taking a potassium-sparing diuretic, such as amiloride (Midamar), spironolactone (Aldactone), or triamterene (Dyrenium), they may want you to avoid potassium-rich foods, salt substitutes, low-sodium milk, and other sources of potassium.

Do diuretics cause kidney damage?

Diuretics, or water pills, are used to treat conditions like high blood pressure, glaucoma, and edema, but as with all medications, they come with some risks. Popular diuretics include hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide, and spironolactone. They are associated with a risk for acute kidney injury.

Should I drink more water while taking diuretics?

Doctors often recommend drinking less fluid and taking diuretic medications, or water pills, to flush more water and salt out of the body through urine. The goal of treatment is to reduce swelling, which makes it easier to breathe and helps avoid hospitalization.

How do you stop your body from retaining water?

Water retention, also known as fluid retention or edema, occurs when excess fluids build up in your body....Here are 6 ways to reduce water retention.Eat less salt. ... Increase your magnesium intake. ... Get more vitamin B6. ... Eat more potassium-rich foods. ... Try dandelion. ... Limit your refined carb intake.

How long do water tablets take to reduce swelling?

It treats edema and high blood pressure by removing excess fluid from your body through your kidneys. The drug starts to work within an hour after you take it. And it takes about 2 hours for half of a dose of the drug to leave your body.

What are the dangers of taking hydrochlorothiazide?

Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects. Check with your doctor right away if you have seizures, decreased urine, drowsiness, dry mouth, excessive thirst, increased heart rate or pulse, muscle pains or cramps, nausea or vomiting, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Why do doctors prescribe water pills?

Diuretics, also called water pills, are medications designed to increase the amount of water and salt expelled from the body as urine. There are three types of prescription diuretics. They're often prescribed to help treat high blood pressure, but they're used for other conditions as well.

What are the risks of taking too many diuretics?

Different types of diuretics have different risks if you take too many. Diuretics work of different parts of the kidney and have different properties. Loop diuretics, like furosemide, and thiazide diuretics like chlorothiazide and hydrochlorothizide increase urination and cause potassium loss. Potassium is an essential mineral and electrolyte that conducts electrical impulses through the heart as well as the rest of the body. Potassium-sparing diuretics such as triamterine and spironolactone, often given in conjunction with loop diuretics, conserve potassium and help prevent potassium depletion.

What are the effects of loop diuretics?

Loop diuretics, the strongest type of diuretics, and thiazide diuretics, which are weaker, cause sodium loss. Sodium excretion pulls water along with it. Thiazide diuretics also dilate blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. Potassium-sparing diuretics are weak diuretics used to treat high blood pressure. They are often used along with loop or thiazide diuretics to prevent excess potassium loss. Taking overdoses of loop and thiazide diuretics can cause not only dehydration from excessive urination but also low levels of potassium, sodium and other electrolytes. Overdoses of these drugs can increase blood glucose and uric acid levels as well as photosensitivity.

Can taking too many diuretics cause blood pressure to drop?

Considerations. The consequences of taking too many diuretics can be deadly. If the dose of diuretic you're taking isn't lowering your blood pressure or reducing fluid retention, talk with your doctor rather than increasing your dose on your own.

Can water pills cause heart problems?

Water pills, medically known as diuretics, have many legitimate uses, but can cause dehydration and irregular heartbeats if you take them in excess. Abusing diuretics as a weight-control method is not only risky but ineffective, since water weight will re-accumulate when you stop taking the pills.

Can Perkins help with dehydration?

Perkins also has extensive experience working in home health with medically fragile pediatric patients. Some diuretics eliminate sodium from the body. Water pills, medically known as diuretics, have many legitimate uses, but can cause dehydration and irregular heartbeats if you take them in excess. Abusing diuretics as a weight-control method is ...

How long after taking a syringe can you pee?

Side Effects. 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. Call your doctor if you're very thirsty or have a very dry mouth, your pee is a deep yellow, ...

Can you take diuretic in the morning?

If you only need one dose a day, you might want to take your diuretic in the morning so you can sleep through the night instead of getting up to go to the bathroom. Avoid alcohol and medicines to help you sleep. They may make side effects worse.

Can potassium diuretics cause bone loss?

We don't know how these drugs affect an unborn baby. And many pass into breast milk, which can make the baby dehydrated. Kids can safely take them, but they need smaller doses. The side effects are similar to adults. But potassium-sparing diuretics can cause low levels of calcium, which could hurt bone development.

What are the side effects of taking water pills?

Home / General Health / Water Pills Side Effects. Excess tiredness, muscle weakness, frequent urination, and excessive thirst are some of the common side effects of taking water pills. Diuretics, also known as water pills are commonly prescribed for the treatment of edema, a condition that is typically marked by accumulation ...

Can diuretics cause blurred vision?

There have been reports of unexplained weight loss, fever, cough, sore throat, bruising, vision becoming blurred and headache, in patients put on diuretics . These side effects require urgent medical attention and so one must inform the doctor immediately.

Does taking diuretics cause increased urine?

Frequent Urination. Whether you take natural diuretics or synthetically prepared ones, the most common side effect you are likely to experience is increased urination. Taking the pill prompts the kidneys to produce more urine.

Can water pills cause thirst?

No wonder, excessive fluid loss causes unreasonable thirst. Water pills may also lead to abnormal heart rate and fatigue.

What is water pill?

Essentially, Bakshi tells us, “Water pills—also known as diuretics—are a class of medication used to help the kidneys decrease the amount of water in the body.". Typically, she adds, they’re prescribed to a patient by a medical professional to help with high blood pressure, heart failure, and edema.

What is the purpose of water pills?

The term “water pill,” in fact, has nothing to do with the scientific composition of the medication and everything to do with their prescribed purpose: to relieve fluid retention. As we know all too well, one doesn’t have to be recovering from a heart attack to retain some extra water .

How do water pills work?

Water pills "work by having the kidneys remove sodium from the body, and the water then follows the sodium ," says Bakshi. From a nutritional standpoint, Condell notes, “Diuretics are useful for a variety of medical conditions—even for treating acne—but should always be used under the care of a physician.”.

Is water regulated by the FDA?

This is important. Unlike prescribed diuretics, over-the-counter water pills are not regulated by the FDA. In other words, “The ingredients listed on the box may not actually be what is in the pill you are taking,” says Bakshi.

Is water good for you?

After all, water is generally associated with all things good: glowing skin, a speedy metabolism, and the ultimate hangover cure. Yet here’s an interesting tidbit: If not taken appropriately, water pills (known as loop diuretics in the medical community) can actually be pretty dangerous.

Can you take water pills over the counter?

Be wary of over-the-counter options, and don't treat them as a quick de-bloating trick, which can result in dangerous side effects. To best determine if water pills are right for your health needs, speak to your personal physician.

Can diuretics be sold over the counter?

This is the case for diuretics and other medications, like ones for heartburn. That being said, when a medication is able to be sold over the counter, it can lose the oversight by the FDA (as noted earlier) and thereby not need to follow the same regulations as prescribed medication for safety.”.

What are some examples of water pills?

Some examples of water tablets are moduretic and lasix. There are some cases where water pills are necessary, but only in cases of quite serious disease, which your doctor will be able to identify. Most people with water retention do not have a disease, they have a metabolic imbalance caused by eating the wrong foods or not eating enough ...

Why does my body keep water?

Eating too much salty or sugary food and not enough fresh fruit and vegetables is one likely cause of water retention. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a good source of potassium.

What happens if you lose potassium?

If you lose potassium it is harder for your body to control sodium, which encourages water retention. Potassium is also needed to make energy in your body, so if you don’t have enough you can start to feel tired and even your heart, nerves and muscles can be weakened.

Can water pills extract water from tissues?

Water pills cannot extract water from your tissues. Your tissues will give up a little bit of water if your blood gets dehydrated due to the water pills, but they will take it back again the minute the dehydration stops.

Can water pills help with 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.

Can you have water retention and dehydration at the same time?

Can you have water retention and dehydration at the same time? Yes. The moment you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated. Women need to drink at least two litres of water a day to avoid dehydration and men need even more. These are official figures published by governments.

What are some examples of diuretics?

Examples of diuretics. There are three types of diuretics: Thiazide. Loop. Potassium sparing. Each type affects a different part of your kidneys. Some pills combine more than one type of diuretic or combine a diuretic with another blood pressure medication.

What is the name of the pill that helps you get rid of salt?

Find out how they work and when you might need them. By Mayo Clinic Staff. Diuretics , sometimes called water pills, help rid your body of salt (sodium) and water. Most of them help your kidneys release more sodium into your urine.

Can thiazide be used for high blood pressure?

When diuretics are used. Thiazide diuretics are recommended as one of the first drug treatments for high blood pressure. If diuretics aren't enough to lower your blood pressure, your doctor might add other blood pressure medications to your treatment plan.

Can thiazide cause low 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. If you're on a potassium-sparing diuretic, you can have too much potassium in your blood. Other possible side effects of diuretics include: Dizziness. Headaches.

What are the side effects of taking water pills?

The most obvious side effects of using a diuretic water pill are: Dehydration. Headaches. Dizziness.

What is water pill?

A water pill is a diuretic used to rid the body of excess water. Some brands of water pills claim it helps with weight loss. Loss of water weight tends to be temporary relief. Based on this pill’s main purpose, it seems you may only lose weight temporarily, not permanently like the company states.

What are the ingredients in water pills?

Water Pills Ingredients. The active ingredients in the water pills depend on the class of diuretics it belongs to. Thiazide, loop and potassium-sparing diuretics have radically different active agents. Grouping by class and popular brands, the active agent or chemical in water pills is:

When were water pills first used?

Vogl published his findings in 1920 , and water pills were introduced into the medical landscape. People initially used water pills to treat dropsy and swelling. They have since become a popular treatment for heart conditions and other chronic illnesses.

What is the process of producing excess water from the body called?

The process of producing excess urine is called diuresis.

Can water pills cause lightheadedness?

Ensure to consume sufficient water during the duration of use and even after. Due to the removal of excess sodium and water, water pills may cause a mineral imbalance in the body. This can lead to a sharp increase in blood sugar levels. The side effects include, but are not limited to, the following:

Can water pills help you lose weight?

Water Pills and Weight Loss. Due to the effects of water pills, there are many claims about using water pills for weight loss. However, these claims are inaccurate. The pills only serve to get rid of excess water and have no effect on reducing fat content.