Diuretics good for High Blood Pressure? – News Report
Clip thanks to A diuretic is often the first drug given to treat high blood pressure. Diuretics cause blood vessels to dilate. Diuretics also help the kidneys eliminate salt and water, decreasing fluid volume throughout the body and thus lowering blood pressure. Because diuretics cause potassium to be excreted in the urine, potassium supplements or a diuretic that does not cause potassium loss or that causes potassium levels to increase (a potassium-sparing diuretic) sometimes must be taken with a thiazide diuretic. Usually, potassium-sparing diuretics are not used alone because they do not control blood pressure as well as thiazide diuretics do; however, the potassium-sparing diuretic spironolactone is sometimes used alone. Diuretics are particularly useful for blacks, older people, obese people, and people with heart failure or chronic kidney failure.