A diuretic is basically a drug that increases the rate of
urination. As a person urinates more there is a loss of bodily salts with urine.
Different compounds which are expelled with urine have a function to play in the
transmission of signals from the brain, action of muscles and many other functions in
the body. The decrease of any compound could adversely affect the processes in the body,
like breathing, beating of the heart and others.
This is
the reason why a person taking a diuretic has to take more potassium. So that processes
which require potassium are not affected.
Though, this is
not the case always, there are many different types of diuretics and each has a
different effect on the rate of substances expelled from the body, for examples
Aldosterone antagonists and Epithelial sodium channel blockers decrease the secretion of
potassium with urine. If these are used, it may not be necessary to take
potassium.
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