You will need to decide either to stop breastfeeding, or stop taking this drug. For children: In premature infants and children younger than 4 years of age, furosemide may cause kidney problems. It can lead to kidney stones and calcium deposits in the kidneys. If furosemide is given to premature infants during the first few weeks of life, it may increase the risk of problems with the lungs and heart.
This dosage information is for furosemide oral tablet. All possible dosages and drug forms may not be included here. Your dose, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time. This increases your risk of side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lowered dose or a different medication schedule.
This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body. Furosemide is removed from your body by your kidneys. This can cause dangerous side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lower dose and monitor how well your kidneys are working to make sure this drug is safe for you. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages.
Always speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you. Furosemide oral tablet is used for short-term or long-term treatment. This raises your risk of serious problems such as stroke or heart attack.
If you are treating edema, your swelling could get worse. This increases your risk of serious problems such as pain, infections, leg ulcers long-lasting sores , and blood clots.
For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body. Symptoms of an overdose of this drug can include:. If your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away.
What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember. But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects. But you will likely not feel any different. Your doctor will monitor your blood pressure.
You can also check it at home using a home blood pressure monitor. A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled. Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. You can do this using a home blood pressure monitor. Your doctor can tell you where to buy this device and how to use it. Furosemide can cause low blood pressure. A low-salt diet puts you at even higher risk of low blood pressure.
If you are on a low-salt diet, talk with your doctor about whether this drug is right for you. Your doctor may suggest that you eat foods high in potassium. These include bananas , dark leafy greens, and avocados.
You may need to buy a home blood pressure monitor to check your blood pressure at home. Your doctor can tell you more.
There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others. Talk with your doctor about other drug options that may work for you. Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date.
However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication.
They remove extra fluid and sodium from your body without making you lose potassium. Your doctor may lower your dosage of furosemide if you take it with other drugs that have similar effects. You may have questions about furosemide oral tablets and your treatment plan. Remember, your doctor and other healthcare professionals are available to help you. And they want you to get the best care possible. Taking medications, vaccines, foods, and other things with a certain drug can affect how the drug works.
These effects are called interactions. Before taking furosemide oral tablets, be sure to tell your doctor about all medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter types. Also describe any vitamins, herbs, or supplements you use. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you about any interactions these items may cause with furosemide oral tablets.
This list does not contain all types of drugs that may interact with furosemide oral tablets. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you more about these interactions and any others that may occur while taking furosemide oral tablets.
But your doctor may ask you to watch the amount of salt in your diet. This is because consuming too much salt can increase fluid buildup in your body. And this can make it harder for furosemide to work.
Processed foods can have high salt content. Examples of processed foods include potato chips, salted nuts, and lunch meat. Your doctor can give you more information on foods to avoid for your condition. Ask your doctor for more information on the best diet for your condition. Furosemide oral tablets may not be right for you or may be contraindicated if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health.
Contraindications are conditions or factors that increase risks while taking certain medications. Furosemide is contraindicated in people with a history of allergic reaction to furosemide, or anuria. Talk with your doctor about your health history before you take furosemide oral tablets. Factors to consider before taking this drug include those in the list below. Drinking alcohol while taking furosemide may increase certain side effects from the drug.
These can include low blood pressure, dizziness, and the risk of falls. If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor how much is safe to drink with furosemide. Keep in mind that if you have cirrhosis or other serious liver problems , alcohol can make your condition worse. Furosemide is sometimes used in people with liver problems. This drug should only be used if its benefits outweigh its risks.
Your doctor can provide more information about the safety of taking furosemide during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. If you have hypertension high blood pressure or edema fluid buildup , your doctor may discuss furosemide with you. Furosemide is a diuretic. It treats edema and high blood pressure by removing excess fluid from your body through your kidneys.
Your doctor can provide more information about the benefits and risks of furosemide for these uses. The drug starts to work within an hour after you take it. And it takes about 2 hours for half of a dose of the drug to leave your body. But furosemide stays in your system and continues to work for about 6 to 8 hours after you take it.
If you have kidney disease , the drug may stay in your body longer than usual. Your doctor may adjust your dose of furosemide if this is the case. Like furosemide, torsemide and bumetanide are diuretics water pills that are available in both brand-name and generic versions. Furosemide comes as the brand-name drug Lasix, torsemide comes as Soaanz, and bumetanide comes as Bumetanide and Bumex. Bumetanide also comes as an injection. All three drugs belong to the same group of medications called loop diuretics.
This means they all work in similar ways. And they have some similar uses, side effects, interactions , and warnings. But if you have fast weight loss while taking this drug, call your doctor right away. You may be having dehydration , which is a serious side effect of furosemide.
With dehydration, you have a low level of fluid in your body. It can lead to dangerous reactions. Instead, the drug can cause hypokalemia low potassium level. This may happen because the drug is removing too much fluid from the body. If needed, they may adjust your dose of the drug to help you avoid problems. Tell your doctor if you have weight loss or serious side effects with this drug. Some older adults may have kidney problems and take several other types of drugs.
Having kidney disease can cause furosemide to build up in the body, leading to more side effects from the drug. And taking other drugs with furosemide could increase the risk of interactions. If you have serious kidney problems, your doctor may prescribe a lower dose than usual of furosemide for you.
If you take other drugs that affect your kidneys with furosemide, you may have more side effects, too. Ask your doctor if furosemide is safe for you to take. Also tell them about all the medications you take and your other health conditions. Furosemide works by removing excess fluid from your body. However, your doctor may prescribe it if they think the benefits of the medicine outweigh the risks.
If you're trying to get pregnant or you're already pregnant, talk to your doctor about the benefits and possible harms of taking furosemide. These will depend on how many weeks pregnant you are and the reason you need to take it. There may be other treatments that are safer for you. Small amounts of furosemide may get into breast milk. It's also possible that furosemide may reduce the amount of milk you produce. If you need to take furosemide while you're breastfeeding, your doctor and midwife will monitor your baby's weight.
Talk to your doctor, as other medicines might be better while you're breastfeeding. Some medicines interfere with furosemide to stop it working properly or increase the chances of you having side effects. Some painkillers and remedies that you can buy from a pharmacy or supermarket contain a lot of sodium, which is found in salt. Too much salt can stop furosemide working properly. Medicines that contain a lot of salt include soluble paracetamol and soluble co-codamol , and some remedies for heartburn and indigestion.
Speak to a pharmacist or doctor to see if these medicines are safe for you to take alongside furosemide. There's very little information about taking herbal remedies and supplements with furosemide. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements. A diuretic makes your body get rid of extra fluid through your kidneys. A loop diuretic works on a specific part of the kidney called the "loop of Henle" to increase the salt and water you pee out.
This means you have less fluid in your tissues which helps get rid of oedema swelling. You will also have less fluid in your blood, which helps reduce blood pressure. Furosemide starts to work within an hour but it may take a few weeks to fully take effect.
If you're taking furosemide for high blood pressure , you may not have any symptoms. In this case, you may not feel any different when you take furosemide. This doesn't mean that the medicine isn't working. It's important to keep taking it. Depending on the reason why you're on furosemide, you may have to take it for a long time, even for the rest of your life. Furosemide is safe to take for a long time, but you will have to see your doctor or nurse every so often for blood and urine tests.
These make sure the chemicals in your blood are properly balanced. How often you need to see your doctor or nurse for these tests will depend on the reason why you're taking furosemide, if your dose has changed recently, or if you have any other health problems. Even if furosemide brings down your blood pressure successfully, it's best to carry on taking it. If you stop taking it, your blood pressure could go back up again.
If you need medicines to lower your blood pressure, you'll probably need them for the rest of your life. Remember, by keeping your blood pressure low, you're protecting yourself against having a heart attack or stroke in the future.
Stopping it may cause your blood pressure to rise - and this may increase your risk of heart attack and stroke. If you're bothered by side effects, your doctor may be able to prescribe you a different medicine. There are 3 different types of diuretic: loop diuretics such as furosemide , thiazide diuretics and potassium-sparing diuretics. Each type of diuretic works on a different part of the kidney. It's usually best to drink normally while you're taking furosemide.
A good rule is to drink enough fluid so that you're not thirsty for long periods. And to steadily increase your fluid intake when exercising and during hot weather. Passing pale, clear pee is a good sign that you're drinking enough. However, if you have heart failure or kidney problems you might need to limit how much fluid you drink.
Your doctor or nurse will tell you exactly how much you need to drink each day. If you're ill with a fever a high temperature above 38C , sweats and shaking, being sick vomiting or have severe diarrhoea, contact your doctor as you may need to stop taking furosemide for 1 to 2 days until you are better.
You can start to take it again when you're eating and drinking normally. If you take furosemide when you have an illness that can make you dehydrated, it can make the dehydration worse. During the first few days of taking furosemide, it is best to stop drinking until you see how the medicine affects you. It may lower your blood pressure and make you feel dizzy. If you feel OK, you can drink alcohol in moderation by following the national guidelines of no more than 14 units a week for men and women.
A standard glass of wine ml is 2 units. A pint of lager or beer is usually 2 to 3 units of alcohol. If you're taking furosemide for high blood pressure or oedema a build up of fluid , you may lose a bit of weight as your body loses water. But do not take furosemide specifically to lose weight. Only take furosemide if it's been prescribed, and only for the reason your doctor has prescribed it for you.
Tell your doctor that you're taking furosemide if you're going to be put to sleep with a general anaesthetic for an operation or you're going to have a major operation - such as a Caesarean section - without a general anaesthetic.
Furosemide can reduce your blood pressure when it's used with a general anaesthetic. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking furosemide 24 hours before surgery. If you're taking a diuretic such as furosemide, it's important not to have too much salt in your food because this can stop it working.
Do not eat foods that have a lot of salt in them, such as processed foods or ready-meals. Do not add extra salt when you're cooking or at the table. Also, do not buy salt substitutes instead of ordinary table salt, as they contain a lot of potassium, which can interfere with certain medicines or cause side effects.
Adults generally are advised to eat no more than 6 grams of salt a day. Your doctor will tell you if you need to eat even less than this.
However, some types of hormonal contraception, like the combined pill and contraceptive patch , aren't usually recommended for women taking furosemide. This is because some hormonal contraceptives can raise your blood pressure and stop the medicine working properly. There's no evidence that furosemide reduces fertility in men or women. However, if you're a woman and you're trying to get pregnant, talk to your doctor first as this medicine is usually not recommended in pregnancy. You can boost your general health - plus the health of your heart - by making some key lifestyle changes.
These will also help if you have high blood pressure or heart failure.
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