Abstract
Diuretic agents are commonly prescribed medications in various diseases such as hypertension, congestive heart disease, and several causes of oedema. Different types of diuretics are currently available and, though their somehow closely similar mechanisms of action, their final effect depends primarily on their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Pharmacokinetics describe delivering the drug to the site of action in certain concentrations and at a certain time, whilst pharmacodynamics implies the final response of the diuretic agent at the active site of response. Understanding the basic pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of different diuretics is fundamental for physician to appropriately tailor the diuretic agent to each patient. Therefore, this article aims at reviewing and summarizing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetics of different diuretic agents namely loop diuretics, thiazide diuretics, osmotic diuretics, and potassium sparing diuretics.