What are the benefits of osmotic diuretics?

Osmotic diuretics is a kind of medicine that can increase the amount of urine The drug works by changing the water balance in different parts of the body Osmotic diuretics include mannitol, isosorbide, urea and glycerin Compared with other diuretics, the efficacy of these drugs is often relatively weak Although these drugs are generally well tolerated, they should not be used in patients with certain diseases The mechanism of osmotic diuretics is to change the way the kidneys filter blood and produce urine In general, penetrants work because they increase the amount of material dissolved in the blood When there is a high concentration of penetrant in the body, water will flow into the blood from the inside of the cell to normalize the relative concentration of substances in the space inside and outside the cell This allows more fluid to enter the kidneys for filtration and results in increased urination In addition, the presence of osmotic substances in the fluid filtered by the kidney reduces the amount of water absorbed by the blood, thus increasing the amount of urination There are four diuretics commonly used One of the most important is a chemical called mannitol, which is a small molecule that is not digested and does not participate in any chemical reaction in the body Glycerin and isosorbitol are two other commonly used drugs Although urea is not used in the United States, it is used in other countries or regions In general, osmotic diuretics are less effective than other types of diuretics, so the amount of urine excretion that patients can increase is relatively small That's why they are used for more than just urine For example, mannitol can be used in patients with increased intracranial pressure to reduce pressure by allowing a portion of the fluid in the brain to flow into the bloodstream The common side effects of diuretics include headache, nausea and vomiting Long term use of the drug will reduce the concentration of sodium in the blood, resulting in hyponatremia Mild, the disease can cause nonspecific symptoms, but severe hyponatremia can lead to seizures Not all patients need to take osmotic diuretics Taking this medicine will increase the amount of blood circulating in the body If there is already too much fluid in the body (such as patients with advanced kidney disease or congestive heart failure), you should not take this medicine, otherwise it will further worsen the condition In addition, patients who cannot urinate should not take this medicine.