Why do high blood pressure use diuretics?

 SKĐS - I have high blood pressure, my doctor prescribed furosemide, I found it to be a diuretic. So why am I taking this medicine? What should I pay attention to when taking medicine? Thank you!

Tran Thi Hoa (Hanoi)

For patients with high blood pressure, depending on the specific case, the doctor may prescribe diuretics. In patients with high blood pressure, excess salt and water in the body puts extra pressure on the artery walls. Diuretics act on the kidneys to increase the amount of salt and water excreted from the body through urine. In addition, diuretics also help artery walls relax more, blood flow more easily. Thanks to these two factors, the pressure on the arteries will be significantly reduced, bringing the blood pressure level to a safe threshold.

Some studies also show that diuretics are a very good support for other antihypertensive drugs such as beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors... to overcome the side effects of water retention in the body. when taking these drugs. For this reason, diuretics are often prescribed as first choice, or as an ingredient in a fixed-dose combination, to help patients most effectively control blood pressure.

Furosemide belongs to the group of thiazide diuretics. Drugs in this class are chosen first to treat mild hypertension and other heart problems related to blood pressure. The drug reduces the concentration of Na in the vessel wall, reduces the sensitivity of the vessel wall to cathecolamine, thereby reducing the resistance of the circulatory system, but it must be treated for many weeks to see the effect. In addition to treating hypertension, diuretics are also used in the treatment of heart failure, acute pulmonary edema, kidney disease, nephrotic syndrome...

However, the side effects of the drug can be: Frequent urination, dehydration (if drinking water does not reduce this condition, feel thirsty, dry mouth, urine is dark yellow, constipation, the patient should see a doctor for examination), increased blood sugar, loss of potassium (a good mineral that helps support normal blood pressure), headache, cramps, dizziness, fatigue... When experiencing the above symptoms, the patient should Notify the doctor for timely and appropriate treatment.