How much lasix can i take

If you have kidney problems, more of the drug may stay in your body longer. This could lead to dangerous side effects, including very low blood pressure. Your doctor may start you on a lower dose of this drug. Your doctor may also monitor how well your kidneys are working to make sure furosemide is safe for you to take. Furosemide can cause very low electrolyte levels, which can cause serious liver damage and loss of brain function.

Electrolytes are minerals that help control the fluid balance in your body and help with other important functions. Your doctor will monitor you closely. For people with diabetes : Furosemide can make it harder to control your blood sugar glucose levels. Before taking this drug, be sure your doctor knows you have diabetes. For people with bladder disorders: If you have severe problems with emptying your bladder completely, furosemide can make your condition worse.

Before taking this drug, be sure your doctor knows you have a bladder disorder. For people with thyroid problems: High doses over 80 mg of furosemide can cause low levels of thyroid hormones.

Be sure to tell your doctor about your thyroid problems before you start taking furosemide. For pregnant women: Furosemide is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:. This drug should only be used if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. For women who are breastfeeding: Furosemide may pass into breast milk and can cause serious side effects in a child who is breastfed.

It may also cause your body to produce less milk. Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. 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.

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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Drugs and Supplements Furosemide Oral Route. 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. Page last reviewed: 10 January Next review due: 10 January Furosemide On this page About furosemide Key facts Who can and cannot take furosemide How and when to take it Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.

About furosemide Furosemide is a type of medicine called a diuretic. Furosemide sometimes comes mixed with other diuretics or potassium. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today?

It's usual to take furosemide once a day in the morning. Some people take it twice a day - once in the morning and again at lunchtime.

Furosemide doesn't usually upset your tummy. You can take it whether or not you've eaten a meal or snack recently. The main side effect of furosemide is peeing more often than normal. Most people need to pee about 30 minutes after taking furosemide, and again within a few hours.

Do not take furosemide after 4pm or you may have to wake in the night to go to the toilet. Furosemide is also called by the brand names Frusol and Lasix. Furosemide can be taken by most adults and children, including babies. To make sure furosemide is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have : had an allergic reaction to furosemide or any other medicine in the past low blood pressure symptoms of dehydration , such as being thirsty, having a dry mouth and dark pee liver disease diabetes difficulty peeing a disorder of your adrenal glands called Addison's disease gout an intolerance to, or you cannot absorb, some sugars such as lactose in milk or maltitol in corn syrup Tell your doctor that you are taking furosemide if you're going to have : a glucose test a test such as an X-ray or scan that involves a dye containing iodine being injected into your blood a major operation or a general anaesthetic to put you to sleep.

When will I take it? How much will I take? The usual dose in adults to treat high blood pressure is 20mg to 80mg a day. The usual dose in adults to treat heart failure or oedema fluid build up in the body is 20mg to mg a day. How to take it Furosemide doesn't usually upset your tummy so you can take it whether or not you've eaten recently. Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Some people take furosemide mixed with other diuretics or potassium: with amiloride also called co-amilofruse, Frumil or Frumil LS with spironolactone also called Lasilactone with triamterene also called Frusene with potassium also called Diumide-K Continus What if I forget to take it?

What if I take too much? Side effects often get better as your body gets used to the medicine. Common side effects Common side effects of furosemide happen in more than 1 in people. They include: peeing more than normal, most people need to pee a couple of times within a few hours of taking furosemide - you may also lose a bit of weight as your body loses water feeling thirsty with a dry mouth headaches feeling confused or dizzy muscle cramps, or weak muscles feeling or being sick nausea or vomiting a fast or irregular heartbeat Serious side effects Some people have serious side effects after taking furosemide.

Tell your doctor straight away if you get : unexplained bruising or bleeding, fever, sore throat and mouth ulcers — these could be signs of a blood disorder severe tummy pain which could reach through to your back — this could be a sign of an inflamed pancreas pancreatitis severe pain in your side or blood in your urine — these could be signs of inflamed kidneys ringing in your ears tinnitus or loss of hearing Serious allergic reaction It's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to furosemide.

Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: peeing more than normal - this will last for about 6 hours after taking furosemide. It's nothing to worry about, but if it's inconvenient for you, change the time you take furosemide to one that suits you better provided it's no later than 4pm. If peeing a lot is still a problem for you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.

Check with your doctor how much liquid you can drink while you're taking this medicine.