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i cant take credit for this as it was written by a member of another board. i am putting these up cause some people are talking about and asking questions about these compounds:
Okay, I would love to look really smart by going into all the pharmacokinetics of different diuretics, and their action in the Loop on Henle, proximal and distal convoluted tubules... but I think I sound smart enough just by knowing the meaning of the word pharmacokinetics, and those other big fancy words, so I'm going to get straight to the point on this one.
Needless to say, diuretics affect the kidneys. And the kidneys are F-ing complicated, so we're just going to skip the mechanism of how they affect the kidneys and get to the one of the major risks of diuretic use and how to be safe.
I'm only going to talk about two diuretics, mostly Lasix (generic name furosemide). Okay so with Lasix the main thing you have to watch out for is hypokalemia (excessively low potassium levels). Lasix makes you piss away all of your potassium. Potassium is a unique electrolyte in that your body can't just reabsorb it like it can sodium. Potassium levels have to be constantly replaced by ingesting potassium.
(You know what, from here on out I'm just going to say K+ instead of typing out potassium.) The effects of low K+ can be read about here: Contraceptive Pills | LIVESTRONG.COM
Let's just say it can f*ck you up in a serious way. And Lasix can cause it. I've seen it countless times in older patients that are on lasix... even those that take K+ supplements. Pretty much we don't get many young people on lasix.
So now You're probably thinking "I have my potassium supplements handy, and I take them." Let me ask you this, are your K+ supplements measured in milligrams or milliequivalents (mEq)? If they're measured in mg you might as well throw them out. Potassium in the blood is measured by it's electrical charge... milliequivalents. Real K+ supplementation as it is prescribed by a doctor is measured by mEq. In the hospital we use horse-pills of pure KCl (Potassium Chloride). 1500mg KCl = 20mEq of K+
So where the hell do I get Potassium Chloride? Well lucky for you that is what salt substitute is made out of. KCl tastes a lot like table salt (NaCl) and is available at most grocery stores under the brand name "No Salt." It's the same thing as prescription potassium pills.
So, since your food scale doesn't measure 1.5g accurately, here is how you are going to take your potassium, and it actually tastes kind of good.
6g No Salt
3oz lemon juice
2-3 liters of water
Stevia powder to taste (about 2-3 packets)
You make your own electrolyte replacement drink with this. The above quantity will give you roughly 80mEq of K+. If taking Lasix I'd get at least 40mEq a day. So that recipe is enough for about two days worth.
Mix the water, No Salt, the lemon juice (add a little more lemon if you like) and Stevia in a jug and drink it over ice. I've never used Lasix, but I've supplemented K+ on low carb days. That mixture actually tastes pretty good.
Now a couple last words. If you happen to get your hands on Bumex (generic name Bumetanide) it does the same thing as Lasix. So you need K+ for that one too. IF YOU TAKE ALDACTONE (generic name spirinolactone), DO NOT TAKE THIS EXTRA POTASSIUM. Aldactone makes you hold on to K+ so if you supplement K+ you can end up with hyperkalemia, which can also kill you. If you take Aldactone and Lasix you need to talk to your doctor. If I remember correctly Aldactone (although a much weaker diuretic) trumps Lasix in the K+ department so you don't need any potassium supplementation with it. But I'm not positive about that, so talk to your doctor.
Last words, I don't advocate the use of diuretics. Anything that f*cks with the kidneys is something I stay away from. But since there are those that use them I want you all to be safe as you can be.
Okay, I would love to look really smart by going into all the pharmacokinetics of different diuretics, and their action in the Loop on Henle, proximal and distal convoluted tubules... but I think I sound smart enough just by knowing the meaning of the word pharmacokinetics, and those other big fancy words, so I'm going to get straight to the point on this one.
Needless to say, diuretics affect the kidneys. And the kidneys are F-ing complicated, so we're just going to skip the mechanism of how they affect the kidneys and get to the one of the major risks of diuretic use and how to be safe.
I'm only going to talk about two diuretics, mostly Lasix (generic name furosemide). Okay so with Lasix the main thing you have to watch out for is hypokalemia (excessively low potassium levels). Lasix makes you piss away all of your potassium. Potassium is a unique electrolyte in that your body can't just reabsorb it like it can sodium. Potassium levels have to be constantly replaced by ingesting potassium.
(You know what, from here on out I'm just going to say K+ instead of typing out potassium.) The effects of low K+ can be read about here: Contraceptive Pills | LIVESTRONG.COM
Let's just say it can f*ck you up in a serious way. And Lasix can cause it. I've seen it countless times in older patients that are on lasix... even those that take K+ supplements. Pretty much we don't get many young people on lasix.
So now You're probably thinking "I have my potassium supplements handy, and I take them." Let me ask you this, are your K+ supplements measured in milligrams or milliequivalents (mEq)? If they're measured in mg you might as well throw them out. Potassium in the blood is measured by it's electrical charge... milliequivalents. Real K+ supplementation as it is prescribed by a doctor is measured by mEq. In the hospital we use horse-pills of pure KCl (Potassium Chloride). 1500mg KCl = 20mEq of K+
So where the hell do I get Potassium Chloride? Well lucky for you that is what salt substitute is made out of. KCl tastes a lot like table salt (NaCl) and is available at most grocery stores under the brand name "No Salt." It's the same thing as prescription potassium pills.
So, since your food scale doesn't measure 1.5g accurately, here is how you are going to take your potassium, and it actually tastes kind of good.
6g No Salt
3oz lemon juice
2-3 liters of water
Stevia powder to taste (about 2-3 packets)
You make your own electrolyte replacement drink with this. The above quantity will give you roughly 80mEq of K+. If taking Lasix I'd get at least 40mEq a day. So that recipe is enough for about two days worth.
Mix the water, No Salt, the lemon juice (add a little more lemon if you like) and Stevia in a jug and drink it over ice. I've never used Lasix, but I've supplemented K+ on low carb days. That mixture actually tastes pretty good.
Now a couple last words. If you happen to get your hands on Bumex (generic name Bumetanide) it does the same thing as Lasix. So you need K+ for that one too. IF YOU TAKE ALDACTONE (generic name spirinolactone), DO NOT TAKE THIS EXTRA POTASSIUM. Aldactone makes you hold on to K+ so if you supplement K+ you can end up with hyperkalemia, which can also kill you. If you take Aldactone and Lasix you need to talk to your doctor. If I remember correctly Aldactone (although a much weaker diuretic) trumps Lasix in the K+ department so you don't need any potassium supplementation with it. But I'm not positive about that, so talk to your doctor.
Last words, I don't advocate the use of diuretics. Anything that f*cks with the kidneys is something I stay away from. But since there are those that use them I want you all to be safe as you can be.
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