Polyuria means that our body makes too much urine, not only peeing more often, but peeing out larger amounts. Excessive urination volume or polyuria occurs when a person urinates more than normal (more than 2.5 liters /day). A “normal” urine volume depends on age and gender. However, less than 2 liters per day is usually considered normal.
Excreting excessive volumes of urine is a common condition but should not last more than several days. Many people notice the symptom at night. In this case, it is called nocturnal polyuria (or nocturia).
Causes
Polyuria can sometimes signal health problems, for example:
- bladder infection (common in children and women),
- urinary incontinence,
- diabetes,
- interstitial nephritis,
- kidney failure,
- kidney stones,
- psychogenic polydipsia, a mental disorder causing excessive thirst,
- sickle cell anemia,
- enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia,
- cancer.
One may also notice polyuria after a CT scan or any other hospital test in which a dye is injected into the body. Excessive urine volume is common the day after the test.
Medications
One may experience polyuria as a side effect of medications, different drugs can lead to polyuria. The most common culprits are diuretics, also known as water pills, which are medicines that move water and salts/minerals out of our body. They are commonly used for blood pressure control.
Other medications that can lead to polyuria include calcium channel blockers, also used for blood pressure control; lithium, used for bipolar disorder; Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which are antidepressants; and demeclocycline, antibiotics etc.
Some other drugs that impact our ADH levels include:
- Barbiturates,
- Desipramine,
- Morphine,
- Nicotine,
- Amitriptyline,
- Carbamazepine,
- Acetaminophen,
- Metformin,
- Tolbutamide,
- Aspirin,
- Theophylline,
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications,
- Ethanol,
- Lithium,
- Phenytoin etc.
Antidiuretic Hormones
One possible cause of polyuria is arginine vasopressin deficiency – a shortage of the hormone vasopressin. Our hypothalamus, an area at the base of our brain, produces ADH. Sensors in our body detect when our blood volume changes and needs more ADH. These sensors talk to our brain and the pituitary gland releases ADH into our bloodstream.
When ADH makes it to our kidneys, it signals them to conserve water and produce more concentrated urine. The water our body retains has effects on our body, including: 
- Diluting our blood,
- Lowering our blood’s osmolality,
- Increasing our blood volume,
- Increasing our blood pressure,
If this doesn’t restore the balance of water in our body, our brain also signals thirst, so we are more likely to drink water. If this is not sufficient to restore the water balance, then thirst is also stimulated so that the affected person will drink more water.
Signs of low ADH include:
- Excessive thirst,
- Frequent urination,
- Dehydration,
- High blood sodium levels.
If our body produces too much ADH and water is retained, our blood volume increases and leads to symptoms like:
- Feeling nauseous,
- Headaches,
- Disorientation,
- Tired or lethargic feeling,
- Low blood sodium levels.
There’s a test for ADH levels in our blood, but as a professional we don’t use it very often. Instead, an imbalance of ADH is diagnosed based on our medical history and other lab tests like urine, blood osmolality, and electrolytes.
Diabetes Insipidus
If our body doesn’t produce enough ADH, it’s called diabetes insipidus and there are two types. Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus is characterized by our kidneys’ inability to respond to ADH. It may be inherited but is also a symptom of larger health conditions.
Central diabetes insipidus is a rare condition in which our body doesn’t have enough antidiuretic hormone. Hypothalamus produces ADH, but the pituitary gland stores and releases it. A person can get central diabetes insipidus if the pituitary gland or hypothalamus is damaged.
Too much ADH is a condition called the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). If patient has SIADH, ADH releases into his/her blood sporadically. Sometimes it releases the correct amount, and other times it releases far more than our body needs.
When to treatment polyuria
Treatment polyuria if you think patient has a health issue (causing polyuria). Certain symptoms should prompt you as a doctor right away, for example: 
- fever,
- back pain,
- leg weakness,
- sudden onset of polyuria, especially in early childhood,
- mental disorders,
- night sweats,
- hematuria,
- discharges from urethra,
- weight loss.
These symptoms can signal spinal cord disorders, diabetes, kidney infections, or cancer. Start treatment as soon as you notice these symptoms in your patient.
If you think the polyuria is due to an increase in fluids or medication, monitor patient’s urine volume for a couple of days.
Lifestyle
Excessive urine volume often occurs due to lifestyle behaviors, for example drinking large amounts of liquid, which is known as polydipsia and isn’t a serious health concern. Drinking alcohol and caffeine can also lead to polyuria.
Diagnosing Polyuria
A good doctor looks at many things to confirm polyuria and diagnose the cause.
Symptoms. Ask about how much and how often he/she (patient) pee, how thirsty he/she is, and whether any changes in thirst happened suddenly or gradually. Also look for symptoms linked to possible causes. Check on any recent medical treatments that could cause them, like getting IV fluids or tube feeding, or having brain surgery, ask how much water and other fluids he/she drinks. Check for signs of diabetes or other conditions linked to polyuria.
Urine tests
Along with a standard urine test, order an 8-, 12-, or 24-hour test. The test looks for the same things as a one-time urine test, but gathering all patient’s urine over a longer period gives the us a better sample of what’s in it.
Water deprivation test
This is a test for diabetes insipidus, which can cause dehydration. Be careful that patient have no fluids for 8 hours or until he will lose 5% of his body weight. Patient’s weight and urine concentration will be tested at regular intervals. You may also advise a dose of manufactured ADH to see how patient’s kidneys respond.
Blood tests
These will check levels of calcium, sodium, potassium, and other substances that might cause or be affected by excess urination.
Glucose test
To check blood sugar for diabetes.
Pituitary function test
The pituitary gland, found at the base of our brain, makes ADH.
Allopathic treatment for polyuria
Treatment of polyuria depends on what’s causing it. So, it’s important to figure out the cause before you 
try any treatment or advise lifestyle changes.
Once you know the cause, the treatment might include:
- Getting the diabetes under better control, if patient takes desmopressin, advice something else.
- Switching medications or doses of drugs that add to polyuria,
- Treating conditions that affect patient’s kidney function,
- Reducing cocked salt in diet, ask your patient take only raw salt (said Dr Qaisar Ahmed),
- Do not say your patient to drinking less fluid – but treat the root cause instead,
- Treat any mental illness that causes to drink too much fluid.
Homeopathic Treatment for polyuria
Homeopathic treatment of polyuria also depends on what’s causing polyuria. So, it’s important to figure out the cause before you start Homeopathic treatment or advise lifestyle changes.
Treat diabetes Homeopathically will normalize the spleen and gallbladder’s function for ever ant patient could live without any dieting regimes.
Treat and regulate kidney functions which is possible and easy with Homeopathic medicines.
At the same time, you treat the cause(s) of polydipsia, advise the following:
Lithium:
Lithium Benzoicum – It diminishes uric acid deposits and increasing the free hippuric acid of the urine. It acts upon the urine before it leaves the blood. Bearing in mind the powerful action which each of its elements possesses over the urinary functions.
Lithium Bromatum – If patient has a history of attacks of apoplexy and is hemiplegic, numbness, vertigo, headache, and thickness of speech, epilepsy etc. It removed these symptoms after any prolonged mental exertion, flushed face, insomnia, and intense pain between the shoulders.
Lithium Carbonicum – Albuminuria. Aneurism. Angina Pectoris. Headaches. Gastritis and dyspepsia. Tenesmus and micturition. Gallstones. Glands swelling. Polyuria. Obesity. Ossification of arteries. Prostatitis. Retina, anemia of. Rheumatism. Spleen, affections of. Syphilis. Urethritis. Urinary disorders.
Lithium Muriaticum – salty mouth taste, tongue numbness. Cardiac attack – pains in the head, back teeth, and heart, hot, burning uprising in the throat and pit of stomach like heartburn. Dull pain through whole head. :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1404347891-54f6c11b1fff467a9d56b1ef1fe2e952.jpg)
Natrum Muriaticum
Symptoms of salt retention as evidenced by dropsies and oedemas. Anemia and leukocytosis. Chlorosis, disturbances of the alimentary tract and skin. Debility, morning sickness. Constrictive sensation throughout the body. Weakness and weariness. Oversensitive. Hyperthyroidism. Goiter. Addison’s disease. Diabetes.
Psychic disease, grief, fright, anger, depressed. Consolation aggravates. Irritable; gets into a passion about trifles. Awkward, hasty. Severe throbbing headaches.
Pain just after urinating. Polyuria, involuntary when walking, coughing, etc.
P. S: This article is only for doctors having good knowledge about Homeopathy and allopathy, for learning purpose(s).
For proper consultation and treatment, please visit our clinic.
None of above-mentioned medicine(s) is/are the full/complete treatment but just hints for treatment; every patient has his/her own constitutional medicine.
Dr. Sayyad Qaisar Ahmed (MD {Ukraine}, DHMS), Abdominal Surgeries, Oncological surgeries, Gastroenterologist, Specialist Homeopathic Medicines.
Senior research officer at Dnepropetrovsk state medical academy Ukraine.
Location: Al-Haytham clinic, Umer Farooq Chowk Risalpur Sadder (0923631023, 03119884588), K.P.K, Pakistan.
Find more about Dr Sayed Qaisar Ahmed at:
https://www.youtube.com/Dr Qaisar Ahmed
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