Frusemide
About Frusemide
Frusemide is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and oedema (a fluid build-up in the body). Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic condition in which the force exerted by the blood against the artery wall is high. If the blood pressure is high, it is harder for the heart to pump. As a result, it leads to heart disease, irregular heartbeat, and other complications. Oedema may occur in cases of high blood pressure, where body fluids get trapped in the tissues of the hands, arms, feet, ankles, and legs, leading to swelling.
Frusemide works by increasing the amount of urine passed out from the kidneys. It effectively reduces excess fluid levels in the body and treats oedema (swelling) associated with heart, liver, kidney, or lung disease. This reduces the workload on the heart and makes the heart more efficient at pumping blood throughout the body. Thus, it helps lower high blood pressure, reducing the chances of a heart attack or stroke.
You can take Frusemide with food or without food. It should be swallowed whole with a glass of water. Do not chew, bite, or break it. Your doctor will advise you on how often you take medication based on your medical condition. Sometimes, you may experience dehydration, headache, nausea, or dizziness. Most of these side effects of Frusemide do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects persist, contact your doctor.
Try not to stop taking this medication on your own. Let your doctor know about this, as it may cause a rise in blood pressure and can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Inform your doctor if you have kidney, liver, or heart disease. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, please tell your doctor so that the dosage of Frusemide can be prescribed accordingly. Please tell your doctor if you have had an allergic reaction to Frusemide or any other medicine in the past. Reducing the amount of table salt (sodium chloride) in your food often relieves the swelling of the body.
Uses of Frusemide
• Treatment of High Blood Pressure (Hypertension): It helps lower blood pressure by reducing fluid in the body, easing the heart's workload.
• Treatment of Heart Failure: It reduces fluid retention, improves heart function, and reduces symptoms like swelling and shortness of breath.
• Treatment of Oedema (Fluid Build-Up): It helps remove excess fluid from the body, reducing swelling in areas like the legs, feet, and ankles.
Medicinal Benefits
When you take Frusemide, the blood vessels in your body will be relaxed, which will help lower the blood pressure. Also, it relaxes the blood vessels and helps improve blood flow. It helps lose excess fluids from the body by increasing urine production. This reduces the workload on the heart and makes the heart more efficient at pumping blood throughout the body. Thus, it helps lower high blood pressure, reducing the chances of a heart attack or stroke. In addition, this relieves oedema and enables you to carry out your daily activities more efficiently.
Directions for Use
- Frusemide can be taken orally with or without food, or as directed by your physician.
- It is best to avoid taking this medication within 4 hours of your bedtime to prevent having to get up to urinate.
- Swallow the tablet whole with a full glass of water; do not crush, chew, or break it.
Storage
Side Effects of Frusemide
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
- Dehydration
- Headache
- Somnolence
- Fatigue
- Reduced levels of potassium and magnesium in your blood
Drug Warnings
Frusemide should not be given to people allergic to Frusemide, have low blood pressure (less than 90 mm of Hg), have had a heart attack, kidney disease, or liver disease, are pregnant women, or are planning to get pregnant or breastfeeding women. Besides this, it is contraindicated in low blood pressure (hypotension), cardiogenic shock (sudden stopping of blood flow to the heart), and aortic stenosis (heart valve problem). Frusemide can pass into breast milk, but its effect on the baby is unknown. So, it is better to tell your doctor if you take Frusemide and are breastfeeding.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions: Frusemide may interact with other high blood pressure-lowering pills (e.g. metoprolol, ramipril, hydrochlorothiazide, atorvastatin) and can lower your blood pressure leading to severe conditions. Besides this, it also interacts with medicine to treat erectile dysfunction (e.g. sildenafil), anti-epilepsy medicines (e.g. carbamazepine, phenobarbital), certain painkillers (e.g. ibuprofen, aspirin), and medications used to treat irregular heartbeats (e.g. sotalol), and immune-suppressing drugs (e.g. cyclosporine). If you are taking any of the above, speak with your doctor.
Drug-Food Interactions: You are recommended not to consume alcohol while using with Frusemide to avoid unpleasant side effects.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Frusemide should not be given to people with cardiogenic shock (when the heart fails to pump required blood to the body), heart valve problem (stenosis), low blood pressure (hypotension), coronary heart disease, liver disease, or heart failure, low serum potassium (hypokalemia), patients with nil urine output (anuria) etc.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionYou are recommended not to consume alcohol while using Frusemide to avoid unpleasant side effects.
Pregnancy
cautionFrusemide should not be used in pregnancy unless necessary. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing Frusemide to you. Please consult your doctor.
Breast Feeding
cautionFrusemide should not be used in breastfeeding unless necessary. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing Frusemide. Please consult your doctor.
Driving
cautionDriving after taking Frusemide is not recommended as it may occasionally cause drowsiness.
Liver
cautionFrusemide to be taken with caution if you have a history of liver diseases/conditions. Your doctor may adjust the dose depending on your current liver condition.
Kidney
cautionFrusemide to be taken with caution if you have a history of kidney diseases/conditions. Your doctor may adjust the dose depending on your condition.
Children
cautionFrusemide can be used in children if prescribed by a doctor. The dose of this medicine will be decided by your doctor based on your child's age and body weight.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Keep your weight under control with a BMI of 19.5-24.9.
- Regular physical activity or exercise for at least 150 minutes per week, or about 30 minutes most days of the week, can help lower your raised blood pressure by about 5 mm of Hg.
- Opt for a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy products.
- Limit your daily sodium chloride (table salt) intake to 2300 mg per day, or less than 1500 mg, which is ideal for most adults.
- If you are taking alcohol, then only one serving for women and two for men is advisable.
- Quitting smoking is the best strategy to lower the risk of heart disease.
- Avoid chronic stress, as it can raise your blood pressure. To cope with stress, try to enjoy and spend time with your loved ones and practice mindfulness techniques.
- Try to include heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acid-containing food and drinks in your daily diet. You can also use low-fat cooking oils like olive oil, soybean oil, canola oil, and coconut oil to help lower your elevated blood pressure.
Special Advise
- Monitor your blood pressure daily, and immediately contact your doctor if there is too much fluctuation.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Hypertension: It is a chronic condition in which blood pressure is too high. This condition can lead to hardened arteries (blood vessels), decreasing the blood and oxygen flow to the heart. Blood pressure measures the force our heart uses to pump blood to all body parts. Raised blood pressure can cause chest pain (angina) and a heart attack (when the blood supply to the heart is blocked). High blood pressure also causes brain damage (stroke) and kidney failure. High blood pressure can be diagnosed with the help of a blood pressure monitor or sphygmomanometer. Systolic pressure is the pressure when the heart pumps blood out. On the other hand, diastolic pressure is the pressure when your heart is at the resting stage between heartbeats. If your blood pressure is 140/90 mm of Hg, the systolic pressure is 140 mm of Hg, and the diastolic pressure is 90 mm of Hg. Ideal blood pressure is around 120/80 mm Hg.
Oedema: A build-up of fluid in body parts such as ankles, feet, and legs often causes swelling.
FAQs
Frusemide is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and oedema (a build-up of fluid in the body).
Frusemide works by increasing the amount of urine from the kidneys. It effectively reduces excess fluid levels in the body and treats oedema (swelling) associated with heart, liver, kidney, or lung disease. This reduces the workload on the heart and makes the heart more efficient at pumping blood throughout the body. Thus, it helps lower high blood pressure, reducing the chances of a heart attack or stroke.
Oedema or Edema is a medical term for fluid retention. The affected area begins to swell as a result of oedema. If it does not go away, please see your doctor right away.
Your symptoms may improve before the problem is completely cured. However, it is suggested that you complete the entire course of treatment even if you feel better.
Yes, Frusemide is contraindicated to any of the components of Frusemide in people with known allergies. It should be avoided in people with severe kidney or liver impairment and with anuria (reduction or absence of urine).
No, you are advised to inform your doctor and monitor your blood pressure for at least two weeks before stopping the medicine. Depending on your current blood pressure readings, your doctor may lower your medication dosage and not recommend discontinuing it.
Frusemide can be safely taken as long as your doctor prescribes it. Conditions such as high blood pressure are lifelong, and one should not abruptly discontinue them without discussing them with a doctor.
No, gout due to Frusemide is very rare. However, it can increase uric acid levels.
There is no evidence that Frusemide reduces fertility in men or women. However, if you are a woman trying to get pregnant, talk to your doctor first.
Frusemide is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and oedema (a fluid build-up in the body).
As your body loses water, you may experience slight weight loss while taking Frusemide. However, Frusemide is not used to treat weight loss.
Frusemide may decrease blood pressure by reducing excess fluid in the body. This decreases the volume of blood circulating and lowers the pressure on blood vessel walls. It also helps to relax blood vessels, contributing to improved blood flow.
Frusemide may cause an increase in uric acid levels in the blood by reducing its renal excretion. It inhibits the active transport of uric acid in the renal tubules, leading to decreased elimination of uric acid in urine. This may result in the build-up of uric acid in the bloodstream, potentially raising uric acid levels in the blood. Consult the doctor if you have gout/high uric acid levels.
Frusemide may cause a decrease in potassium levels by increasing the excretion of potassium through urine. It inhibits sodium reabsorption in the kidneys, leading to enhanced potassium loss in the urine.
The side effects of Frusemide include headache, dehydration, nausea, or dizziness. Consult the doctor if any of these side effects persist or worsen.
Frusemide should be taken orally with or without food as recommended by the doctor. Swallow Frusemide as a whole with water. Do not chew, crush or break it.
The best time to take Frusemide can be determined by the doctor based on your medical condition. However, it is recommended to avoid taking Frusemide within 4 hours of your bedtime to prevent the need to get up during the night to urinate.
Both furosemide and torasemide belong to the group of medications called loop diuretics used to treat high blood pressure and oedema caused by underlying liver, kidney, or lung diseases. However, both are different medications and your doctor will decide which medicine is suitable for you based on your condition.
It is generally recommended to drink water normally while taking Frusemide. A good guideline is to drink enough water to avoid feeling thirsty for extended periods and to increase fluid intake when exercising and during hot weather. Passing pale, clear urine is a sign that you're staying properly hydrated.
Frusemide is not known to cause weight gain, in contrast, it may cause weight loss due to its diuretic effects, as it helps remove excess fluid from the body. However, if you notice any weight changes, limit carbs intake, cut back on sugary drinks, exercise regularly, eat a fibre-rich diet and stay hydrated.
Do not take too much of Frusemide as it may cause dizziness, headaches, a pounding or irregular heartbeat, and fainting. You may also experience increased urination and feeling of thirst. Consult the doctor immediately if you have exceeded the recommended dose or experience any of these symptoms.
Avoid foods high in salt, such as processed foods and ready to eat meals. It is not recommended to consume alcohol while taking Frusemide to avoid unpleasant side effects. Eat healthy food and exercise regularly. Manage stress by doing meditation and quit smoking.
