Furosemide is an extremely commonly used diuretic medication. In this video I talk about uses and side effects.
Hi i’m dr ritter from cardiogage.com i’m a cardiologist in new york this video is about furosemide the brand name for this is lasix but the patent expired a long time ago so most of the time it’s referred to as furosemide this medication is inexpensive generic it’s been around for many years and it is used extremely frequently it’s a diuretic medication which
Means it’s used to help a person urinate off extra fluid as occurs when the legs are swollen and puffy it also can decrease out of breath which can occur with heart dysfunction or weakened kidneys the heart and kidneys work together to keep the fluid level in the body just right but when things aren’t working properly you can end up with a lot of fluid overload
And a person needs a medication like ferrosomide frozemite is very effective doses range from 10 milligrams a day up to a maximum of around 80 milligrams twice a day occasionally it’ll go up to 120 milligrams twice a day the main side effect i see is wooziness or lightheadedness caused by low blood pressure which occurs because the medication basically can
Dehydrate you so i warn people about the side effect it occasionally will cause a rash in which case the medication has to be stopped the most important side effect of furosemide is decreased kidney function this can happen if the person becomes excessively dehydrated for this reason patients get blood tests every few months while they’re on furosemide this is
Certainly more apt to occur when a person is sick and they’re not eating and drinking normally or if they’re sweating because they’re working outside a lot in the hot weather they’re doing something that they normally don’t so you have to watch out for getting excessively dehydrated certainly when you’re on furosemide it can cause a low potassium level so people
Who are on furosemide often require a potassium pill once a day or increased intake of dietary potassium which would be mostly fruits and vegetables have a lot of potassium in them in patients who have significantly weakened kidney function i will check their potassium level and their kidney numbers every one to two months while they’re on furosemide because
The furosemide can cause worsen kidney function and elevated potassium if they get excessively dehydrated you might ask why would we ever give furosemide to someone with weakened kidney function if it can make it worse the answer is people with weakened kidney function often have a lot of swelling they get all puffy and we have to do something to get rid of the
Fluid and that something is furosemide all in all this is a very effective medication i wouldn’t call it the most safe medicine out there because it does require blood testing but we have to use it in many situations and it’s very effective to remove fluid from people who are having a lot of swelling and also it helps a lot of people with out of breath so it’s
Used very commonly be sure to like and subscribe for more content and visit cartiergage.com my website for personalized assessment of your heart health
Transcribed from video
Furosemide Explained: Uses and Side Effects. By CardioGauge
