Diuretics, Osteoporosis, Osteopenia - you need to know

Diuretics are prescribed for congestive heart failure and/or for high blood pressure. Some have been found to increase bone density while others decrease it.

Those that increase bone density are called Thiazide diuretics

• The New England Journal of Medicine published, "Thiazide effect on the mineral content of bone". by RD Wasnich, RJ Benfante, K Yano, L Heilbrun and JM Vogel in 1983. This study included 1368 men with a mean age of 68 years. Of these 323 were taking thiazides for hypertension. Thiazide users had significantly more bone mineral content at all sites tested than did non-users.

  The authors concluded: "These findings suggest the possibility of a preventive or therapeutic role for thiazides in osteoporosis".

• Another study was published in Lancet in 1989. It was done by the Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. It also concluded that thiazides protect against Osteoporosis in elderly people.

The diuretics categorized as ‘Loop Diruetics” are the ones that cause your kidney’s to excrete calcium. In fact, they can remove so much calcium that there can be significant bone loss. If you are taking Lasic, ALdacatone, Dyazide, Bumes, Diamox or Edercin do talk with your health care provider to find out what you can do to protect your bones. (NOTE: There may be new or these drugs may be sold under different names in different coutries. If you are taking a 'water pill' and you do not see its name in the list above, do ask your health care provider if it belongs to the 'loop diuretics' class. )

Some people drink extra water, others add extra calcium to their diet and/or participate in a formal bone healthy exercise program.

Now these medications are powerful and important. If you are taking one of them DO NOT stop taking it. Do talk with your health care provider. Explain your concern about bone loss. It might be that a Thiazide diuretic, which seems to increase bone density, would be effective for you. If this is not possible, your physician will be able to recommend things you can do to reduce your risk of bone loss.

Please talk with your physician if you are taking one of these medications.