INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS

Please read this leaflet carefully before you start to take your medicine. It gives an outline of the more important things you should know. If you want to know more about this medicine, or you are not sure about anything, ask your doctor or pharmacist. You should keep this leaflet throughout your course of treatment.

THE NAME OF YOUR MEDICINE IS FUROSEMIDE TABLETS BP

The active ingredient in this medicine is furosemide. This is the new name for frusemide. The ingredient itself has not changed.

Furosemide Tablets BP contain the active ingredient Furosemide BP. The tablets come in two strengths, 20mg and 40mg.

Other ingredients in your tablets are lactose, maize starch, pre-gelatinised maize starch and magnesium stearate.

Furosemide Tablets BP 20mg are white, circular, flat tablets with a breakline and F20 on one side and CP on the other.

Furosemide Tablets BP 40mg are white, circular, flat tablets with a breakline and F40 on one side and CP on the other.

Furosemide Tablets BP are available in strip packs of 28 tablets.

HOW DOES YOUR MEDICINE WORK?

Furosemide belongs to a group of medicines called loop diuretics which are used to get rid of excess water from the body.

WHAT ARE FUROSEMIDE TABLETS BP FOR?

Furosemide Tablets BP are used to get rid of excess fluid from the body, to improve the production of urine by the kidneys in various conditions, and in the treatment of high blood pressure.

BEFORE TAKING THIS MEDICINE

You should not take Furosemide Tablets BP if:-

• You have been told you are allergic to furosemide or any of the other ingredients in the tablets. Check by reading the list of ingredients above.
• You have been told you have severe liver problems with cirrhosis of the liver.
• You have kidney failure caused by certain drugs or liver disease.
• You are unable to pass urine (water).

Please tell your doctor before you take your tablets if any of the following apply to you:

• You are pregnant or breast-feeding or wish to become pregnant or start breast-feeding whilst taking this medicine.
• You have problems with your prostate gland or difficulty in passing water.
• You have, or have previously had, low blood potassium or sodium.
• You have low blood pressure or are suffering from dehydration.
• You have parathyroid problems.
• You have diabetes mellitus or gout.
• You have liver failure.
• You have porphyria.
• You have severe asthma and are taking medicines called beta-agonists; these include salbutamol, terbutaline, formoterol and salmeterol.

Taking another medicine while you are taking Furosemide Tablets BP can affect how it or the other medicine works. Make sure that your doctor knows what other medicines you are taking. Do not take any other medicines while you are taking Furosemide Tablets BP unless you have told your doctor or pharmacist and asked their advice. This includes medicines you may have bought yourself.

Examples of medicines that can affect Furosemide Tablets BP are:

• Certain antibiotics including some cephalosporins, aminoglycosides (examples include amikacin, gentamicin, netilmicin) and vancomycin.
• Other medicines taken for high blood pressure, especially ACE inhibitors such as captopril but also alpha-blockers, beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers.
• Carbamazepine and phenytoin which are taken for epilepsy.
• Cisplatin used in cancer therapy.
• Other diuretics including metolazone, acetazolamide and thiazide diuretics.
• Lithium, a drug taken for mental problems.
• Medicines used to reduce inflammation (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, indometacin and ketoralac.
• Probenecid, a medicine used for the prevention of gout.
• Medicines taken for depression including tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as phenelzine.
• Medicines used for diabetes such as glibenclamide.
• Amphotericin, used to treat fungal infections
• Terfenadine, taken for allergies
• Medicines used for heart problems including sotalol, disopyramide, flecainide, quinidine, lidocaine, mexilitine, digoxin, digitoxin and amiodarone.
• Steroids such as cortisone and hydrocortisone.
• Medicines used to treat asthma including theophylline and beta-agonists such as salbutamol.
• Alprostadil, used to treat male impotence and heart defects in infants.
• Carbenoxolone and ranitidine, ulcer healing drugs.
• Cholestyramine and colestipol, used to treat high levels of cholesterol in the blood.
• Pimozide and sertindole, medicines used in the treatment of mental illness.
• Tizanidine, used to treat muscle spasm.

If you have any doubts whether you should take this medicine, talk to your doctor.

 

TAKING THIS MEDICINE

The usual starting dose for adults, including the elderly, for excess fluid is 40mg in the morning which may be reduced to 20mg daily or 40mg every other day. The dose may be increased if necessary to 80mg or more as one or two doses daily or every other day.

For children, the usual dose is 1 to 3mg per kg bodyweight daily up to a maximum of 40mg daily.

The usual adult and elderly starting dose to improve urine production is 250mg daily. This may be increased if necessary, in steps of 250mg, to larger doses given every four to six hours.

The usual adult and elderly dose for high blood pressure is 40-80mg daily.

Your doctor will decide the dose which is best for you. Always follow your doctor's instructions completely. Also follow any instructions or warnings which appear on the label which the pharmacist has put on the pack. If you do not understand or are in any doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

To obtain a tablet, press on the tablet from the blister (or bubble) side, pushing it through the foil. Do not remove the tablet from the blister until you are ready to take it.

Unless told otherwise, take your tablets with water.

You should take your medicine for as long as your doctor tells you to. If you forget to take a dose, take another as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, then do not take the missed dose at all. Never double the next dose to make up for the one missed. Do not stop taking the medicine without talking to your doctor first.

If you accidentally take too many tablets you should contact your doctor, pharmacist or local hospital casualty department immediately. Take this leaflet and any tablets you have left to show the doctor or pharmacist.

ARE THERE ANY SIDE-EFFECTS?

Like many medicines Furosemide Tablets BP may cause side-effects in some patients, particularly when you first start taking them. The most common side-effects that some other patients have had (as well as the expected effect of passing a lot of water) are low blood pressure and a low body level of salts such as sodium or potassium (symptoms of this include dry mouth, thirst, weakness, drowsiness, headache, muscle cramps and irregular heart beat).

Other side-effects that have been reported are an upset stomach, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, blurred or yellow vision, and dizziness (including dizziness or light-headedness on standing). Furosemide may cause raised blood levels of sugar, can make diabetes worse, and can cause gout.

Allergic reactions may develop in some patients and may include skin rashes, sensitivity to sunlight, kidney problems (blood in the urine or lower back pain). Severe allergic reactions are rare but if you experience difficulty in breathing, cold, pale and clammy skin and a racing heart stop taking furosemide and immediately seek medical attention.

Furosemide may also occasionally affect your bone and blood composition. If you start getting mouth ulcers, a sore throat or repeated infections or if you become anaemic (unusual tiredness or loss of colour from the lining of the eyes or skin) tell your doctor. Liver problems including jaundice can develop (eg. yellowing of the skin and/or whites of the eyes), and an inflamed, pancreas can occur (which may result in nausea and vomiting with pain the abdomen and back).

Very rarely furosemide can cause hearing disturbances including ringing in the ears.

Long-term use of furosemide may cause vitamin B1 deficiency, particularly in people treated for heart failure and the elderly.

In newborn infants, long-term treatment with furosemide may cause weakening of the bones due to calcium loss.

If you experience any other effects or feel that the medicine is affecting you badly tell your doctor or pharmacist.

SAFE KEEPING FOR THIS MEDICINE

• Do not take this medicine if the expiry date on the label has passed or if the tablets show signs of "going off" such as discoloration.
• These tablets should be kept in a cool place, protected from light in the package or container in which they were given to you. Do not transfer your tablets to another container.
• Keep Furosemide Tablets BP in a secure place where children cannot get at them.
• Remember this medicine is for you only. Never give it to anyone else. It may harm them, even if their symptoms are the same as yours
• Unless your doctor tells you to, do not keep tablets that you no longer need. Give them back to your pharmacist.