CHAPTER 105

Diuretics (Lasix)

“I was still so new I didn’t know what Lasix was. I definitely didn’t know what 40 mg of Lasix would do. The painful answer came soon enough.”

– Paul Dillett, IFBB champion, telling about the famous time he froze onstage and had to be carried off.

Lasix is the trade name for the drug furosemide, a very powerful drug that belongs to a class of drugs known as loop diuretics, which cause the body to excrete water as well as potassium, sodium and chloride. Loop diuretics, and Lasix in particular, tend to be the drugs of choice for promoting water loss, as they’re among the strongest such drugs available.

Bodybuilders and other athletes use diuretics for a number of different reasons. Many individual sports (including bodybuilding) are divided into weight classes. The drugs are used to drop water weight in an effort to make a lighter weight class. For most sports the goal is to come in at the top of the weight class and not the bottom. Since the weigh-in is usually the day before the competition, competitors can drop their bodyweight considerably and be back to normal within hours of rehydration with water. Bodybuilders rely heavily on diuretics when preparing for a contest, but they may or may not hydrate after the weigh-in. Unlike most sports, for which appearance is not an issue, bodybuilding contests are heavily dependent on having a ripped, defined look. And lower subcutaneous water concentrations play a huge role in developing that rock-hard appearance. Virtually all pro bodybuilders use prescription diuretics before a big contest.

SIDE EFFECTS

Diuretics can remain active for many hours. If you take Lasix or other diuretics you may find that you continue to dehydrate after you achieve the look you want. Since diuretics also cause a loss of potassium and other electrolytes, serious effects on the body’s systems may occur, including the nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems. Everything from your cells to your heart muscle depend on proper electrolyte balance to function properly.

Severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalances have taken the lives of overambitious athletes. The most famous case in bodybuilding was Mohammad Benaziza, who died of a massive heart attack just after winning the Belgian Grand Prix in 1992. His death was believed to be directly related to the diuretics he used before the contest to shed water. Another famous dehydration incident involved Paul Dillett, whose body cramped up so badly onstage that he literally could not move and had to be carried off as if he were a statue.

The warning signs that Lasix may be causing severe dehydration include dizziness, cramping, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting and heart problems. I urge you to use extreme caution when considering using Lasix or other diuretics. If you do decide to use them, stay clear of the 500 mg tablets. These are meant to be used only in severe medical conditions and contain a dosage that could prove to be lethal for a healthy person.

In 1994 Paul Dillett famously (and painfully) froze onstage as if petrified. He had to be carried off. This was due to using excessive diuretics before the contest.
Photo by Robert Kennedy