Diuretics work by forcing the kidneys to discharge more sodium and water than normal in the urine. This reduces the water content in the blood and less water means that there is less pressure being placed on the walls of the arteries.

Often a diuretic will be used as the first line of treatment by a doctor for a patient suffering with high blood pressure. But they that will also usually recommend their patients also take other forms of medication as well in order to help control their high blood pressure.

There are three kinds of diuretics which are used in treating high blood pressure and these are as follows:-

1. Loop Diuretics

These particular diuretics are often prescribed to people who also suffer from heart or kidney problems or suffer from edema (swelling of the legs). However they will not usually be prescribed to people who are just suffering from high blood pressure. Generally a person will find that once they start taking loop diuretics their urine output increases for a few hours afterwards.

2. Potassium Sparing Diuretics

Unlike some of the other kinds of diuretics now available these particular ones do not cause a person's potassium levels to drop. In fact in some cases a person who is taking this particular diuretic for high blood pressure will find their potassium levels increase.

3. Thiazide diuretic

A thiazide diuretic helps the body pass more water. It generally has quite a weak action on the kidneys, so the urine flow is not increased significantly when compared to loop diuretics. In addition to the impact on the kidneys they also cause a widening of blood vessels, which also helps reduce blood pressure.

There are a number of natural diuretics, including Dandelion that may also be a useful addition to the battle to reduce blood pressure, but before embarking taking any natural alternative solutions speak with your doctor.

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It is important that anyone suffering with high blood pressure finds out what the true cause of the hypertension is. Diuretics and many medications only treat the symptoms of the condition, and without establishing the cause or causes and resolving that, then there is a greater risk of reoccurrence.

Review your lifestyle critically and see if there are any connections to the high blood pressure. Here are some things that have been found to elevate blood pressure over time:

A poor diet
Being obese
A lack of exercise
Smoking
Drinking alcohol, especially binge drinking
A history of heart problems of high blood pressure in the family.

Although the exact cause of high blood pressure has not been established, the conditions and habits above have been shown to elevate blood pressure.

There are also other conditions and circumstances that can elevate blood pressure including pregnancy, kidney or endocrine disease, blood vessels and arteries narrowing and medication like steroids and contraceptive pills.

While using a diuretic for high blood pressure relief can be effective, especially when used with other treatments, finding the underlying cause of the blood pressure and then introducing methods to resolve it can reduce the change of reoccurrence and keep you medication free.