Furosemide is a powerful diuretic, one of the most powerful diuretics. In fact, the drug is not doping, but is widely used in unofficial sports medicine, is listed in the list of drugs banned for admission by athletes. Nevertheless, furosemide remains one of the most popular means in sports. Read the pharmacological action of furosemide will be interesting and understandable only to professionals, so we will get acquainted in general terms. After ingestion, the tablet comes into action rather quickly – the effect comes in about 15-30 minutes. There are strong urge to urinate. Sensations (based on the personal experience of the author) are roughly the following: every five minutes I want to go to the toilet, as if the whole day was not possible to do it. The volumes of the outgoing liquid are commensurate with the sensations. The effect lasts for 3-4 hours. In this case, calcium, magnesium and potassium are washed out of the body.
Athletes take a diuretic before the competition in order to remove excess fluid from the subcutaneous tissue, so that on the stage the body looks more embossed, elastic and attractive. Intravenous injection of diuretics on the eve of the competition acts instantly and quickly removes water. But this method can lead to a decrease in the volume of muscle mass. Experienced athletes prefer the use of diuretics in tablets 2 days before the competition.
It should be borne in mind that diuretics in sports, without observing the principles of rational use, can lead to serious side effects, up to cardiac arrest. In order to minimize all possible risks, the drugs combine (loop and potassium-sparing). In order to protect the athlete from intoxication occurring against a background of rapid metabolism, it is recommended to take diuretics with plant extracts. They do not work so fast, but unlike synthetic drugs, they do not disturb the balance of electrolytes.