Diuretic

Is Population-Wide Diuretic Use Directly Associated With the Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease in the United States?

Well now, doesn’t this just open up an awful can of worms?  Over the past few years we’ve had evidence suggesting that the diuretics should absolutely be the first line of defense for patients with high blood pressure over newer, more expensive drugs.  So many physicians are now switching patients back to good old fashioned diuretics.  As with any other time we use medication, a dark side seems to be coming to play.

Given that this is a dark topic for a very, very common condition and the ramifications are huge, this is one that will get shoved under the table for decades.  This is a perfect time to relate a patient experience.  Had a female put in my office about one week ago.  She’s been a patient for several years and has kept a pretty advanced insulin resistance in check with lifestyle, but had been faultering the past few months.  A blood pressure check revealed 180/80–not exactly safe, by any means.

We had a conversation about medication vs aggressive lifestyle changes and she did not want meds.  Staying in close contact with her over the next few days, she was called FOUR days later and was below 140.  There’s no drug on the market that would’ve done that for her.

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