When suffering from heart failure it’s common for patients to take drugs called diuretics to rid the body of excess fluid buildup that can impede breathing.
Now, a team of Brazilian researchers say that, in some cases, it’s safe for patients with stable heart failure to actually stop taking diuretic drugs.
“Patients don’t like using diuretics because they feel they have to stay at home to use the bathroom and they get cramps,” noted study principal investigator Dr. Luis Rohde, of the Federal University of Rio Grande, do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
“Patients would welcome being able to stop this medication,” he said, and the study suggests it can often be done safely.
One U.S. expert who reviewed the new