How to Use

To ensure the safe use of Furosemide, let your doctor know if you have a history of or suffer from any of the following conditions:

• Gout
• Diabetes
• Lupus
• Kidney disease
• Cirrhosis or any other liver disease
• High cholesterol or triglycerides
• Bladder obstruction, enlarged prostate or any other urination problem
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Allergy to sulfa drugs

Take Furosemide as prescribed. Follow the instructions on the prescription label keenly. Your doctor may change your dose from time to time to achieve the best results.

Ask your pharmacist for the right dose-measuring cup or spoon. Don’t measure the dose with the regular spoon. Furosemide will cause you to urinate more frequently than normal thereby causing you to dehydrate easily. Follow the instructions on using potassium supplements and getting adequate salt in your diet keenly.

While on Furosemide, regular blood tests may be required.

FDA Pregnancy Classification

Category C

It is unknown if Furosemide can cause harm to an unborn baby or if it can be passed into breast milk and harm a nursing baby. Let your doctor know if you are pregnant, plan on becoming pregnant or if you are breastfeeding a baby.

Storage

Store at room temperature and away from light, heat and moisture. Discard the Furosemide liquid within 60 to 90 days after opening the bottle. The pharmacist will let you know when and how to dispose the unused medicine.

Side Effects

Serious

• Severe pain in the upper stomach that spreads to the back, nausea and vomiting
• Ringing in the ears or hearing loss
• Loss of appetite, itching, dark urine, jaundice, clay-colored stools
• Rapid weight gain, swelling, urinating less frequently than usual
• Low calcium
• Feeling unsteady, headache, shallow breathing
• Severe skin reaction
• Bruising, pale skin, unusual bleeding, rapid heart rate, feeling light-headed, difficulty concentrating
• Chest pain, worsening or new cough with trouble breathing or fever

Common

• Constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain
• Mild itching or rash
• Spinning sensation, dizziness

Safety

Furosemide should not be used by patients who have trouble passing urine.

Prior to using this drug, let your doctor know if you have an enlarged prostate, kidney disease, cirrhosis, urination problems, liver disease, high cholesterol, lupus, gout, allergy to sulfa drugs, electrolyte imbalance or diabetes.

Your doctor should know if you recently had an MRI or any scan done using radioactive dyes injected into the veins.

Don’t take larger doses than directed. High doses may cause permanent hearing loss. If you are being treated for high blood pressure, you may need to use the medication for the rest of your life.

Interactions

Furosemide interacts with 720 drugs.