Indications & Dosage

Indications:

Furosemide is a potent diuretic with a rapid action. Like the other loop or high ceiling diuretics, it is used in the treatment of edema associated with heart failure, including pulmonary edema and with renal and hepatic disorders and may be effective in patients unresponsive to thiazide diuretics. It is also used in high doses in the management of oliguria due to renal failure or insufficiency. It is also used in the treatment of hypertension either alone or together with other antihypertensives.

See insert for complete information

Dosage and Administration

Route of administration: intramuscular or intravenous
Furosemide may be administered intramuscularly or intravenously as the sodium salt. It is recommended that whether by direct intravenous injection or by infusion, the rate of intravenous administration should not exceed 4 mg/minute although some authorities advise that a single dose of up to 50 mg may have given more rapidly.

For edema: 20-50 mg of Furosemide may be administered by intramuscular or slow intravenous injection and if necessary further doses may be given, increasing by 20 mg increments and not given more often than every 2 hours. If doses are greater than 50 mg are required they should be given by slow intravenous infusion. For pulmonary edema, if an initial slow intravenous injection of 40 mg dose does not produce a satisfactory response within 1 hour, the dose may be increased to 80 mg given slowly intravenously.

For children: 0.5 to 1.5 mg per kg daily up to a maximum of 20 mg daily.

High dose therapy: 250 mg diluted to 250 mL in a suitable diluent is infused over 1 hour. If urine output is sufficient within the next hour this dose may be followed by 500 mg added to an appropriate infusion fluid, the total volume which must be governed by the patient’s state of hydration and infused over approximately 2 hours.

or as prescribed by a physician.