Table of Contents
Why would an athlete use diuretic?
Diuretics are often abused by athletes to excrete water for rapid weight loss and to mask the presence of other banned substances.
Which athletes use diuretics?
Numerous NFL players — including running back Deuce McAllister, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, and Charles Grant — were suspended for using a diuretic in 2008. Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell-Brown, a Jamaican track star, was caught using a diuretic in 2013.

What happens to the body when athletes use diuretics?
Diuretics increase the production of urine, and some athletes use them to try to flush out residue from steroids. They can also be used to shed water as a temporary weight loss measure in sports with weight categories (boxing, equestrian sports).
Why do boxers use diuretics?
Concerning boxing, diuretics are used to achieve an artificial reduction of weight in order to compete in lower divisions and also, as we already mentioned with the intention of preventing the detection of other prohibited substances.
What happens if you abuse diuretics?
Patients with eating disorders often use diuretics to eliminate fluid to achieve lower body weight. Diuretic abuse can lead to severe hyponatremia. Central pontine myelinolysis, a disruption of the myelinated neurons of the pons, has been associated with rapid correction of severe hyponatremia.

Are diuretics illegal in sport?
Diuretics are banned in all sports because they can cause rapid weight loss and can act as masking agents (to hide the effects of other prohibited substances) both in and out of competition.
Do diuretics affect drug tests?
Diuretics can be detected in urine, but are rarely checked except for athletes.
Do UFC fighters use diuretics?
Shields admitted to using diuretics to help him cut weight before fighting Ed Herman at UFC 150 in August 2012 during a Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC) hearing. Shields was attempting to get licensed for his main-event bout with Brian Foster at World Series of Fighting 17 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Why can’t athletes take diuretics?
Can you get addicted to diuretics?
Idiopathic edema patients abusing diuretics are occasionally becoming dependent to such a degree on increasing doses of diuretics that their withdrawal results in severe cardiorespiratory failure, occasionally even pulmonary edema.
Are diuretics banned in sports?
Because of their abuse by athletes, diuretics have been included on The World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances; the use of diuretics is banned both in competition and out of competition and diuretics are routinely screened for by anti-doping laboratories.
Why do athletes take furosemide?
Abstract. Furosemide is included in the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list of prohibited substances because it can be used by athletes to mask the presence of performance-enhancing drugs in urine and/or excrete water for rapid weight loss.
Why do boxers take diuretics?
How do fighters cut water weight?
Since hot water offers both heat and 100% humidity, fighters lose water quickly by taking hot baths and fully submerging everything but their nose for 10 minutes at a time. This is the “finishing touch” to flush the last few pounds of water and is only used on the last few days leading up to the weigh-in.
Do hydrochlorothiazide get you high?
Hydrochlorothiazide High? Diuretic drugs like hydrochlorothiazide specifically increase how much urine the body produces to reduce edema or swelling. While this is not an effect that many people seek out as a high, there are some reports of substance abuse of this drug.
Is furosemide addictive?
Your doctor may have prescribed Lasix for another purpose. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why it has been prescribed for you. This medicine is only available with a doctor’s prescription. This medicine is not addictive.
How do boxers drop weight so fast?
How do wrestlers cut weight in 2 days?
Hydrate then Cut
- Four days out from the weigh-in, start drinking two gallons of water per day.
- 16 hours before the weigh-in, stop drinking water.
- The night before the weigh-in have a small, low carbohydrate and no sodium dinner.
- Take a hot bath, go to bed wearing clothes and sleep under the blankets.
- Wake up, weigh yourself.
Is Adderall a diuretic?
It has diuretic properties that could shorten the lifespan of Adderall by prompting the body to remove the drug from its system sooner. The chemicals that Adderall activates in the brain cause the blood vessels to constrict, and the heart rate and blood pressure to rise.
Is Lasix performance enhancing?
Lasix also works as a diuretic that causes horses to urinate before a race and lose 20 to 30 pounds of fluid, thus increasing the ability of the horse to run faster.