Furosemide

[Qwerty12345]

Hi. Just wondering what doses of furosemide people are on for fluid retention (from heart failure). My mum has been increased to 120 mg per day as she has fluid in her chest/lungs. Seems an awful lot! Anyone else on this much and how are the side effects? Thanks in the meantime.

[Etzel]

I was on 120mg for a short while but they dropped me down to 80 then 40 and now i'm 40 when I feel I need it. I know at high doses they should be checking bloods as I believe it messes with potassium levels, other than that it really is just a case of living in the toilet!

What they also did with me was an x-ray once a week to check the lungs , once happy they set my regular dosage.

[Qwerty12345 in reply to Etzel]

Mums kidneys aren’t in the best shape so I’m worried about this increase. I hope her bloods are tested frequently. She’s been quite short breath lately and it’s being put down to increased fluid in the lungs. I’m glad you didn’t have to stay taking a high dose for good. With any luck mum won’t need to be at a high dose for long.

[Suzyh]

I was on 40mg but have now changed to bumetanide as could not tolerate furosomide

[Hidden in reply to Suzyh]

I am on two 40mg furosomide tablets, one at breakfast and the other one at mid-day. I don't go far for two hours after taking a tablet. I don't know if anyone else suffers with small itchy spots on the upper torso as a complication of heart disease.

[DodgyTickerMum]

Hi,

My Dad is sadly palliative with end stage heart failure. He has dreadful amounts of fluid in his feet, ankles and up to his knees. He has been on and off of 120mg (max dose) of Furosemide for the past couple of years.

As a fellow heart patient, I was recently put on 10mg of Dapagliflozin - to try and improve my heart’s pumping function, following open heart surgery last summer. At my Dad’s most recent appointment with the heart failure nurses, I enquired whether my Dad could also possibly try this drug to ease his symptoms and help with the excess fluid retention?

Apparently NHS guidelines dictate that a patient’s pumping function has to be 40 or less to ‘qualify’ for the medication. However, as they are running out of options for my Dad, they had a team meeting and decided to try him on it. I have to say, there has been a noticeable difference in the size of his legs. They are still large but no longer feel like they’re going to burst.

He’s now on 40mg of Furosemide in conjunction with 10mg of Dapagliflozin. He has renal failure because of all the meds - so having a lower dose of Furosemide has got to be better for his poor kidneys.

We’re back to the clinic tomorrow for the latest review. I hope you get some answers for your Mum.

[polenta]

When I was in CHF and hospitalized, and once they had my fluid down, I was sent home on 20 mg furosimide. Once my EF was improved to a normal number the Dr. put me on an as need basis. I am sure its always prescribed on a case by case basis though.