Hydrochlorothiazide is a drug that, in basic terms, works as a diuretic. This means that it stimulates the manufacture and expulsion of urine by the kidneys to reduce the volume of circulating fluid.
It has been used, badly, for therapies that were touted as a miracle in weight loss. However, we can imagine that the effect was false, since it dehydrated people and gave a sensation of mass decrease, when in reality liquid was lost.
Read on to learn more about this drug that has its main function among hypertensive patients. Discover its adverse effects and how it should be used with the appropriate medical indication.
Hydrochlorothiazide uses
Hydrochlorothiazide has two main uses: treating high blood pressure and relieving edema that leads to fluid build-up. It is worth clarifying that not all edemas benefit from this therapy nor do all doses act in the same way.
Regarding high blood pressure, as it is a diuretic, what is promoted is the expulsion of excess fluids to relieve pressure on the arteries of the body. In this disease there is an increase in the force with which the blood hits the arterial walls, so mechanisms are sought to reduce this knocking.
Traditionally, there are three ways to lower blood pressure: slowing the heart rate, widening the dilation of the arteries, or discharging excess fluid from the body. Hydrochlorothiazide is a drug that produces the latter effect.
By affecting the kidney, the drug increases the amount of sodium and chloride that this organ filters. As there will be more sodium in the urine, the electrolyte will carry water due to its chemical properties and this will determine more volume when urinating.
A second property is in the dilation it produces in the small arteries of the body. Although it is less than the diuretic power, it would be what would explain that the tension decreases after 4 weeks of use, and is sustained over time.
Regarding edema, we said that not all of them are treatable with hydrochlorothiazide. They must be accumulations of fluids in the body that respond to heart or kidney failure and, to a lesser extent, liver failure. Otherwise your administration will be in vain.
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