Dosage
Usually the substance furosemide is taken in tablet form. The dose is 20 – 40 mg and can be repeated after 6 – 8 hours if necessary. In hospital, Furosemide can also be administered as a short infusion. The dosage here is also 20 – 40 mg.
Side effects
Due to the water being washed out, the blood becomes thicker (increased blood viscosity). This has some dangers, because thick blood tends to clot. Thromboses or life-threatening embolisms can be the consequences.
Another consequence of water and salt washout can be a reduced salt content with derailment of the electrolyte balance. In extreme cases, a reduction in hearing can sometimes be observed. The reason for this is that the hearing apparatus contains a similar transporter as the one in the kidney.
Furosemide or loop diuretics can cause gastrointestinal complaints such as diarrhea. They also promote magnesium excretion, which can lead to a magnesium deficiency (hypomagnesemia). Symptoms of this include muscle cramps, irritability and fatigue or even palpitations.
In addition, increased calcium excretion is induced. Since calcium is important for bone structure, long-term therapy with loop diuretics is not appropriate. If a sodium deficiency is caused by the application of furosemide, the effect of the drug is automatically limited.
Treatment with loop diuretics can also be accompanied by an increase in uric acid levels. This can lead to an attack of gout. In general, diuretic drugs tend to reduce the amount of filtration.
Although water excretion is increased, the ability to filter and thus cleanse the blood of substances excreted in the urine is reduced. In some cases, reversible hearing loss may also occur because the drug blocks a transporter that also occurs in the inner ear. This usually only happens at high doses.
