Furosemide is an effective drug for lowering blood pressure, but also has other benefits. It’s more commonly known as a diuretic, which helps the body get rid of excess fluid.
If you have high blood pressure, furosemide can help lower it. The drug is also used to treat people with congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
In this article, we explain what furosemide is, its benefits and side effects, potential interactions, and how to take it properly.
Table of Contents
What is Furosemide?
Furosemide is a diuretic that is commonly known as Lasix. It is most often used as a blood pressure medication, but it can also be used to treat heart failure, kidney stones, and other conditions. Furosemide can be taken orally, intravenously, or by a nebulizer.
When used to treat high blood pressure, furosemide works by causing your kidneys to remove excess fluid and sodium from your body. This causes your blood pressure to decrease, which leads to a decrease in your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
Benefits of Furosemide
Furosemide is an effective drug for lowering blood pressure, but also has other benefits. It’s more commonly known as a diuretic, which helps the body get rid of excess fluid. If you have high blood pressure, furosemide can help lower it.
The drug is also used to treat people with congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
How to take Furosemide
If you are taking furosemide for high blood pressure, then you should take it one hour before or two hours after a meal. If you are taking furosemide to treat heart failure, then you should take it two hours after a meal. If you are taking furosemide for other reasons, then you should take it at least four hours after a meal and without other drugs that increase stomach acid.
For furosemide capsules, you should swallow them whole. Do not break open or crush the capsules or you risk increasing side effects and decreasing the effectiveness of the drug.
If you are using the intravenous form of furosemide, then you will be given it through an IV. You should lie still on your back and avoid moving your arm for one hour after the procedure.
Side Effects of Furosemide
While furosemide is an effective drug for lowering blood pressure and treating heart failure, it does come with some side effects. People who are taking furosemide often report a metallic taste in their mouth, a dry mouth, and a lack of hunger. This is because furosemide can cause a drop in blood sodium levels and a drop in blood volume.
Some side effects of furosemide are mild and last only as long as you are taking the drug. Other side effects can continue after you have stopped taking the drug. T
hese potential side effects include:
- Diarrhea: Nausea – Vomiting
- Headache: Dizziness – Confusion
- Stomach cramps: Muscle cramps – Nervousness
- Rapid heartbeat: Difficulty breathing
Limitations of Furosemide
Furosemide is an effective drug for lowering blood pressure and treating heart failure. However, it is not the best drug for everyone. For example, if you take furosemide for high blood pressure, it will likely not control your blood pressure as well as other blood pressure drugs would.
Since furosemide does not work as well as other medications, you will likely need to take a higher dose to achieve the desired blood pressure level. This may lead to more side effects.
If you take furosemide for heart failure, you will likely need higher doses than other heart failure drugs. This is because furosemide treats heart failure by removing excess fluid from the body, which will not work well for people who have too much fluid in their bodies.
Conclusion
In this article, we explain what furosemide is, its benefits and side effects, potential interactions, and how to take it properly. Furosemide is an effective drug for lowering blood pressure, but also has other benefits.
It’s more commonly known as a diuretic, which helps the body get rid of excess fluid. If you have high blood pressure, furosemide can help lower it.
Furosemide is also used to treat people with congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
When used for these purposes, furosemide is normally taken orally. For best results, patients should take furosemide as prescribed by their doctor.
