Diuretics

Diuretics are a group of medications typically used to treat high blood pressure or congestive heart disease, but they have also been abused by athletes to gain a competitive advantage or to cover up evidence of the use of other performance enhancers.

A diuretic is anything that causes a person to produce more urine from the kidneys. There are many different kinds of diuretics, and they act on the kidney in slightly different ways. Medications such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) or furosemide affect the small blood vessels in the kidney. This changes ...