Water pills while fasting and low carbing?

Astharteea
Astharteea Posts: 105 Member
edited November 21 in Social Groups
Anyone here tried taking water pills while you fast ? I was thinking to buy some but then I wasn't sure if they go with it.

Replies

  • randiewilliams72
    randiewilliams72 Posts: 119 Member
    My doctor didn't recommend them even when I was eating high carb. They drop BP. If you are already fasting I would worry about dizzy spells.
  • Astharteea
    Astharteea Posts: 105 Member
    I see. It was just a thought. I'm usually not bloated when I eat keto so I don't really need them.
  • sweetteadrinker2
    sweetteadrinker2 Posts: 1,026 Member
    I wouldn't, but I assume some people(with medical prescriptions for lasiks) would do so. Hydration is most important, so it might depend on your idea of fasting.
  • SlimBride2Be
    SlimBride2Be Posts: 315 Member
    I've done it on a couple of days when I was bloated and pre menstrual. It didn't make me feel very good especially as the weather is hot here.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Wouldn't recommend.
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,073 Member
    I find that just making sure I drink lots of water while fasting, ensures that my body releases more water quickly. It seems odd, but taking more in makes sure that more water leaves the body. (I'm so against taking unnecessary drugs.)

    I also find that salt, cheese, nuts, especially salted nuts make me retain water....or sugar for that matter too... Maybe if you find out if certain foods affect you in this way, it would help to avoid these.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    For me, I could always tell I was dehydrated when I started retaining water. Adding salt and water always let it drop back off for me, but as folks here who know me will tell you, my body reacts oddly and backwards to just about everything! LOL
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    I have to take prescription diuretics, and I really think it is affecting me. I take one first thing in the morning at 5:20 and one in the afternoon around 4. By the time I get home from work, I feel crappy and dizzy and tired and sick to my stomach, and I am wondering if maybe the pills are causing it.
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,436 Member
    The loss of electrolytes in ketosis can be dehydrating as it is. I wouldn't recommend taking diuretics while eating this way. Unless medically supervised it could be very dehydrating. Would cause the symptoms that you are having @Raynne413 . You want to discuss this with your physician so he/she can adjust the medication as needed. :smile:
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    Karlottap wrote: »
    The loss of electrolytes in ketosis can be dehydrating as it is. I wouldn't recommend taking diuretics while eating this way. Unless medically supervised it could be very dehydrating. Would cause the symptoms that you are having @Raynne413 . You want to discuss this with your physician so he/she can adjust the medication as needed. :smile:

    I've always had issues with fluid retention, and they also help control PCOS symptoms. I'm curious to try not taking them and see if the low carb eating alone helps the problems I was having to take a pill for. One thing I like about this dr is that he says the less medication you are on, the better.

  • Astharteea
    Astharteea Posts: 105 Member
    Okay then. It's settled! No water pills. I just wanted to know if the scale will go faster while taking them.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    edited July 2015
    I think it would be a bad idea to take water pills along with ketosis, as this WOE is already diuretic. I can see you becoming very dehydrated if you took water pills aswell, then your electrolytes would go out of wack and you would feel like death. Not recommended!
  • toadqueen
    toadqueen Posts: 592 Member
    The scale will go very fast without. You probably would rather lose fat anyway. I used to take a prescription loop diuretic while eating keto and my kidneys started failing last summer. Doctor made me eat carbs and stop the prescription. I put on 30 lbs in 2 weeks and was painfully swollen. All that is gone now and I am back to eating keto.
  • CoconuttyMummy
    CoconuttyMummy Posts: 685 Member
    @toadqueen - Oh my gosh! That sounds terrible! How scary. Im so sorry you went through that - thank goodness your kidneys didnt fail, and less importantly that the gains have now gone and you're back on track (30lb in 2 weeks? WOW!). It goes to show how dangerous diuretics can be, especially during ketosis.

    OP: dont do it!
  • Jbarnes1210
    Jbarnes1210 Posts: 308 Member
    I take prescription water pills, and I've recently started IF'ing. I drink plenty of water, if I forget to take my pills my legs and ankles are swollen by the end of the day. I guess it depends on the person.
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    I take prescription water pills, and I've recently started IF'ing. I drink plenty of water, if I forget to take my pills my legs and ankles are swollen by the end of the day. I guess it depends on the person.

    This is the same issue I have, even having to go to the restroom at least once every hour, my legs still swell if I don't take my medicine. And it can take up to a week to get rid of the fluid if I miss taking them for a day.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    Raynne413 wrote: »
    I take prescription water pills, and I've recently started IF'ing. I drink plenty of water, if I forget to take my pills my legs and ankles are swollen by the end of the day. I guess it depends on the person.

    This is the same issue I have, even having to go to the restroom at least once every hour, my legs still swell if I don't take my medicine. And it can take up to a week to get rid of the fluid if I miss taking them for a day.
    I take prescription water pills, and I've recently started IF'ing. I drink plenty of water, if I forget to take my pills my legs and ankles are swollen by the end of the day. I guess it depends on the person.

    You both might be interested in the discussion over here -- http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/33290371/#Comment_33290371

    Basically, water retention may be a sign of an immune response to something you're consuming. It might be worth reviewing what you've been eating and see if there's something that might be triggering it.

    My general rule of thumb -- humans are not inherently broken, but our environment can cause us issues. If you have to take medication for something that mysteriously happens, then something else is going on. Find and try to fix it at the source, so you don't need the medication.
  • Jbarnes1210
    Jbarnes1210 Posts: 308 Member
    @Raynne413 ...same thing happens to me, takes about a week to get rid of, and I have to avoid the scale during that time so I don't become discouraged.

    @Dragonwolf.....I wish there was a fix, but my legs and ankles have retained water since high school, it's part hereditary/part lifestyle.......maybe even venous insufficiency. My moms legs/ankles swell and so did my grandmas. I've been taking water pills and BP medication since I was around 20. It's worse on the days I'm on my feet all day.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    @Raynne413 ...same thing happens to me, takes about a week to get rid of, and I have to avoid the scale during that time so I don't become discouraged.

    @Dragonwolf.....I wish there was a fix, but my legs and ankles have retained water since high school, it's part hereditary/part lifestyle.......maybe even venous insufficiency. My moms legs/ankles swell and so did my grandmas. I've been taking water pills and BP medication since I was around 20. It's worse on the days I'm on my feet all day.

    Have any of you ever tried an elimination diet, though? It's easy to play the hereditary card when no one thinks about the food they're eating. I took a quick peek at your diary and both Sweet 'N Low and a fair bit of dairy make a regular appearance. Have you ever tried cutting out either or both, especially now that you're not eating other common irritants?
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    Dragonwolf wrote: »
    @Raynne413 ...same thing happens to me, takes about a week to get rid of, and I have to avoid the scale during that time so I don't become discouraged.

    @Dragonwolf.....I wish there was a fix, but my legs and ankles have retained water since high school, it's part hereditary/part lifestyle.......maybe even venous insufficiency. My moms legs/ankles swell and so did my grandmas. I've been taking water pills and BP medication since I was around 20. It's worse on the days I'm on my feet all day.

    Have any of you ever tried an elimination diet, though? It's easy to play the hereditary card when no one thinks about the food they're eating. I took a quick peek at your diary and both Sweet 'N Low and a fair bit of dairy make a regular appearance. Have you ever tried cutting out either or both, especially now that you're not eating other common irritants?

    Well, I went for years cutting out ANY kind of fat (eating disorder) and had the same issue. Now I'm cutting out carbs, and I still have the same issue.

    Part of my problem is that I had extreme DVT in my left leg starting at my major vein in my groin all the way down to my ankle when I was 20, so that has really affected the blood flow in that leg, and I sit all day at my job. I keep my leg propped up and wear compression hose and it still swells. My right leg swells as well, but not NEARLY as much. It's extremely frustrating.
  • gsp90x
    gsp90x Posts: 416 Member
    Ok. I feel silly.
    What is a water pill?
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
    gsp90x wrote: »
    Ok. I feel silly.
    What is a water pill?

    Essentially it's another name for diuretics.

  • toadqueen
    toadqueen Posts: 592 Member
    edited July 2015
    It is a diuretic that removes excess water from your body. Often prescribed for high blood pressure or chronic heart failure. There are various kinds. Some are harsher on the system than others stripping minerals like potassium and other electrolytes. All the water removal can impact kidney function because they overwork.
  • Jbarnes1210
    Jbarnes1210 Posts: 308 Member
    @Dragonwolf ........ I've been going back and forth debating if I can give up artificial sweeteners in my coffee. Before low carb I was a lil coffee with my cream and sugar type person, so I've come along way using 2 packs a cup. I had the same issue way before I began using Artificial sweeteners, so I doubt that's the cause of the swelling, but I was thinking about giving it up to see if it would help me break through what I think is a stahl.

    If dairy is causing the swelling I'm SOL.....that's one item I would really have to fight to give up....
This discussion has been closed.