Natriuretic Potency of Various Diuretics

Abstract

Single doses of various commonly used diuretic formulations and of placebo were randomly and double blind administered to healthy volunteers kept in a metabolic ward. All studied formulations increased mean 24-hr natriuresis significantly. Early distal tubular diuretics elevated urinary Na⁺ flow over the 24-hr period that followed medication; loop-diuretic formulations raised urinary Na⁺ output strikingly in the 0–3-hr period after dosing, but invariably caused an undershoot in urinary Na⁺ flow in the 6–24-hr post-dosing interval. As a consequence, loop diuretics induced lower increases in mean 24-hr urinary Na⁺ output than early distal tubular substances. When monodoses are given to healthy individuals, loop-diuretic formulations in current use generally elicit lower 24-hr natriuretic effects than commonly employed early distal tubular diuretic formulations.