Medications Dehydration

Many medications cause dehydration

With many medications dehydration is a serious side effect.

Learn how to avoid and possibly how to treat the condition you are taking medication for, naturally, with good old fashioned water.
Medications dehydration is one of the many side effects consumers have to cope with For information on particular medications increasing dehydration click on medication below.

Zithromax dehydration

Medications dehydration is one of the most common side effects that patients are warned about when prescribed some drug for a medical condition.

In fact, the list of medications that list dehydration as a side effect is so long that we can only cite a representative sample.

This list includes some common drugs.

We also provide more details on specific relationships including: Claritin, Prilosec, Lithium, Flomax, Zithromax, Lipitor, Lexapro.

Click here to go to list that associates medications to dehydration

A great deal of prescriptions, recreational and over the counter drugs, list dehydration symptoms as a side effect.

Why do so many medications lead to dehydration

Because the drugs we are prescribed usually operate at our deepest, most vital areas to get the intended result.

When a substance affects one of the most important systems in your body, the water management system, you can be sure it's effect on you is profound.

The fact that many drugs affect the body's water management system also tells us just how important that system is.

Any substance that can tinker with our physical water management system will have a great effect on our body, health and symptoms.

Oftentimes, powerful prescriptions have to operate on this level to achieve results.

Following is a discussion of some medications associated with dehydration.

Some medications have their own pages. Please scroll down for links to Claritin, Prilosec, Lithium, Flomax, Zithromax, Lipitor and Lexapro. Scroll down for their pages

Remember, that even mild chronic dehydration should be a serious concern. Really, what's "mild" about it is that percentage-wise the dehydration seems mild, 1 - 2% of our water weight. But the effects are major.

Diuretics and dehydration

Of all of the classes of medications dehydration, diuretics are the most troublesome as a cause of dehydration.

Diuretics, often called "water pills" are used to treat high blood pressure and improve heart function.

Unfortunately, diuretics achieve their results by getting rid of "excess" water that the heart is too weak to eliminate. They thus create a state of chronic dehydration.

This is a double-edged sword because, heart problems and high blood pressure may be caused by chronic dehydration. (See navigation for pages on heart health and high blood pressure.)

Removing the excess water may alleviate symptoms but at great cost. The cost is the permanent need for diuretics, masking of symptoms and development of other disorders that chronic dehydration could lead to.

Diuretics also play havoc on our water system by reducing potassium, sodium and magnesium in our blood. These 3 elements play a vital role in our health and in management of the water in our bodies.

Bronchial medications

Medications associated with dehydration include allergy and asthma drugs. The use of them can also lead to permanent chronic dehydration.

Here too, dehydration may have led to the condition in the first place but the medications to treat them just worsen dehydration.

Performance boosters

Nutritional supplements like stimulants, ephedrine and ma huang are intended to increase workout ability and physical performance. Caffeine can also be used in the same way.

All of those substances increase heat production in our bodies and that has a natural dehydrating effect.

Laxatives

Prescription or over the counter laxatives can obviously lead to dehydration because of the fluid that is lost when you empty your bowels. Excessive use, for psychological reasons or to manage weight, in particular can lead to more serious levels of dehydration.

Related to this problem is the overuse of Ipecac. Ipecac is normally used to induce vomiting of poison. Whether used for this purpose or other reasons it's use is a cause of dehydration.

Recreational drugs

Most recreational drugs cause some level of dehydration. Marijuana, cocaine, uppers, downers.

In particular, Ecstacy may induce moderate dehydration.

Interaction effects

For many medications that do not lead to dehydration, the combining of 2 or more medications may lead to a loss of water.

This is termed "interaction effect" because one medication alone does not lead to dehydration but it could interact with others to produce dehydration.

This scenario has an incredible number of possibilities and is not well researched.

An example is how irinotecan and tacrolimus combine to cause dehydration.

A final note

How medications affect our bodies is a very complicated area of research. Billions of dollars are spent answering these questions. There are always concerns about effectiveness, side effects, cost, stressing meds instead of prevention and so on.

I've wondered if maybe many medications work for some people simply because they are being washed down with water.

It's not so far fetched.

Since we know that dehydration leads to many serious health problems, and many people take their medications with a glass of water, maybe once, twice, even three times a day...well who knows?

Drinking 3 extra glasses a day may lead to health improvement even if nothing else is altered.

Advice

Do not try to treat any serious condition by discontinuing medication. Consult your doctor.

However, do try to keep yourself hydrated to fight medications dehydration or to even alleviate the health problem that you are taking medication for.

Click on the navigation tabs for specific information on conditions and health benefits of water. Start by clicking on "How much water?"

But start, just start drinking water, on an empty stomach, between meals, before breakfast, especially when stressed or working out.

For information on particular medications increasing dehydration click on medication below.