water pill

Thân thiện

A doctor prescribes a water pill to help reduce swelling.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A diuretic drug; any substance that increases the production and flow of urine, helping the body to eliminate excess water and salt.

Usage

• The term water pill is a common, informal name for a diuretic. It is primarily used in everyday conversation and patient education to describe medications that help reduce fluid retention (edema) or lower blood pressure.
• It functions as a countable noun (e.g., , ).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The doctor prescribed a water pill to help with the swelling in my ankles.
  • Some water pills can cause you to lose potassium, so your doctor may recommend eating bananas.
  • He takes a water pill every morning for his high blood pressure.

Advanced Usage

• "to be on a water pill": to be prescribed and taking a diuretic medication regularly.
  • Since her diagnosis, she has been on a water pill.

Variants and Related Words

• Diuretic (n): The formal medical and scientific term for a water pill.
  • Loop diuretics are a powerful class of drugs used in hospitals.
• Diuresis (n): The increased production of urine.
• Edema (n): The medical term for swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body's tissues, which water pills are often used to treat.

Synonyms

• Diuretic
• Fluid pill (less common)

Notes on Meaning

• The core meaning is specifically pharmacological. While some natural substances like caffeine have a mild diuretic effect, in common usage, a water pill refers to a manufactured medication.
• The purpose is therapeutic: to remove excess bodily fluid to manage conditions like hypertension, heart failure, or certain types of kidney disease.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any substance that tends to increase the flow of urine, which causes the body to get rid of excess water

Từ đồng nghĩa

• diuretic drug
• diuretic