Question

I have hypertension and was prescribed a diuretic. Why am I being told to drink a lot of water, when I thought I already had too much fluid in my body?

Answer 1

You don't have too much fluid in your body - the diuretic removes fluid from the Circulatory System to reduce pressure. But it's important to keep a flow of fresh water coming into the body.

Explanation:

First things first - I AM NOT A DOCTOR AND CAN ONLY GIVE YOU MY OPINION. THE BEST WAY TO GET THIS QUESTION ANSWERED IS TO ASK YOUR DOCTOR. I FEEL COMFORTABLE ANSWERING THIS QUESTION BECAUSE MY WIFE HAS TAKEN THIS KIND OF MEDICATION IN THE PAST.

Ok - for my opinion...

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, means that the Circulatory System is experiencing pressures that are too high.

One way very simple way to reduce the pressure within the blood vessels is to reduce the amount of fluid in the system, and so through the use of a diuretic (also known as a "water pill"), fluid and salt is taken out of the blood system by having the kidneys work a little harder.

http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/diuretic-treatment#1

So why are you being asked to drink water?

A couple of reasons come to mind. The first is that the body needs a constant supply of fresh water to replace the water we urinate out. And when we are urinating more, we tend to drink less water - and so you are being reminded that the intake of fluids is still important.

The next is that the water pill, because it is causing the kidneys to release salt along with water, is setting a new homeostasis point in terms of water/salt (the body maintains a level of water in relation to the amount of salt in the body. When someone gets dehydrated, it's important that not just water is introduced, but salt so that the water is automatically urinated out). And so the drinking of water is not going to "put fluid right back in" - the body will take any excess water at this new homeostatic level and urinate it out.

And now I'll end with THIS IS MY OPINION. I AM NOT A DOCTOR. PLEASE CONSULT WITH THE PHYSICIAN WHO PRESCRIBED THE MEDICATION IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!