Anticoagulants help reduce the risk for heart attack , stroke and blockages in veins and arteries, such as ones caused by phlebitis. While these types of drugs can prevent a clot from forming, they do not have an impact on a clot that already exists. Blood-thinning drugs are given to people who have had a heart valve replaced or who have atrial fibrillation or congestive heart failure. These may be given to a person who is at risk of having a heart attack to prevent blood clots in the arteries of the heart or to people who are at risk of a clot forming in the heart's chambers.
Certain types of drugs including some over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin can combine with anticoagulants to cause an even greater anti-clotting effect.
If anticoagulants are prescribed, the doctor should be made aware of any other drug, vitamin, mineral or herbal supplement the patient is taking, especially:. Smoking and drinking alcohol can also make the effect of blood-thinning drugs more powerful. Be aware that vitamin K which is found in fish, liver, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts can make blood-thinning drugs less effective.
Patients who eat these foods must be careful not to eat too much. Conditions that put the patient at risk of bleeding or bruising require particular caution and should be discussed with the doctor. These include:.
Beta blockers block the effect of adrenaline the hormone norepinephrine on the body's beta receptors. This slows down the nerve impulses that travel through the heart. As a result, the resting heart rate is lower, the heart does not have to work as hard and the heart requires less blood and oxygen. Beta blockers can also block the impulses that can cause an arrhythmia irregular heartbeat.
Patients should avoid foods and beverages that have caffeine, antacids that have aluminum or over-the-counter cough and cold medications and antihistamines. Alcohol should also be avoided because it can decrease the effects of the beta blockers. To learn more about these types of drugs and their side effects, visit Medline Plus beta blockers.
Calcium-channel blockers cause the blood vessels to relax by slowing the rate at which calcium passes into the heart muscle and blood vessel walls. As the blood vessels relax, more blood can flow through them, lowering the blood pressure.
Calcium-channel blockers are prescribed to manage high blood pressure, chest pain angina or irregular heartbeats arrhythmia.
Patients should avoid smoking, which may cause a rapid heartbeat tachycardia , and should wait at least four hours after taking a calcium-channel blocker before eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice, which may interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium-channel blockers.
If cholesterol levels cannot be brought down to healthy levels by diet and exercise, cholesterol-lowering drugs may be helpful. They are also prescribed for people who have inherited a medical condition that causes high cholesterol. Patients should avoid drinking and taking statins until they have talked about it with the doctor.
The doctor should be told if the patient has:. Digitalis increases the force of each heartbeat by increasing the amount of calcium in the heart's cells. It can control irregular heart rhythms arrhythmias by slowing the signals that start in the sinoatrial node, which reduces the number of signals that travel through the atrioventricular node and reduces irregular heartbeats. Digitalis increases blood flow throughout the body and can reduce swelling in the hands and ankles caused by blood pooling there when the heart does not pump efficiently.
It is prescribed for persons who have congestive heart failure and heart rhythm problems, such as atrial fibrillation. If this medication is prescribed, the doctor should be made aware of any other drug, vitamin, mineral or herbal supplement the patient is taking, especially:. Patients should avoid caffeine, diet pills and laxatives, as well as cough, cold or sinus medicines.
To learn more about these types of drugs and their side effects, visit Medline Plus digitalis. Diuretics reduce the amount of salt and water in the body. As the kidneys filter the excess water from the blood, the volume of blood the heart has to pump is reduced, causing blood pressure to go down.
During the first few days of taking furosemide, it is best to stop drinking until you see how the medicine affects you. It may lower your blood pressure and make you feel dizzy. If you feel OK, you can drink alcohol in moderation by following the national guidelines of no more than 14 units a week for men and women.
A standard glass of wine ml is 2 units. A pint of lager or beer is usually 2 to 3 units of alcohol. If you're taking furosemide for high blood pressure or oedema a build up of fluid , you may lose a bit of weight as your body loses water. But do not take furosemide specifically to lose weight.
Only take furosemide if it's been prescribed, and only for the reason your doctor has prescribed it for you. Tell your doctor that you're taking furosemide if you're going to be put to sleep with a general anaesthetic for an operation or you're going to have a major operation - such as a Caesarean section - without a general anaesthetic. Furosemide can reduce your blood pressure when it's used with a general anaesthetic.
Your doctor may advise you to stop taking furosemide 24 hours before surgery. If you're taking a diuretic such as furosemide, it's important not to have too much salt in your food because this can stop it working. Do not eat foods that have a lot of salt in them, such as processed foods or ready-meals. Do not add extra salt when you're cooking or at the table. Also, do not buy salt substitutes instead of ordinary table salt, as they contain a lot of potassium, which can interfere with certain medicines or cause side effects.
Adults generally are advised to eat no more than 6 grams of salt a day. Your doctor will tell you if you need to eat even less than this. However, some types of hormonal contraception, like the combined pill and contraceptive patch , aren't usually recommended for women taking furosemide. This is because some hormonal contraceptives can raise your blood pressure and stop the medicine working properly. There's no evidence that furosemide reduces fertility in men or women.
However, if you're a woman and you're trying to get pregnant, talk to your doctor first as this medicine is usually not recommended in pregnancy.
You can boost your general health - plus the health of your heart - by making some key lifestyle changes. These will also help if you have high blood pressure or heart failure.
Page last reviewed: 10 January Next review due: 10 January Furosemide On this page About furosemide Key facts Who can and cannot take furosemide How and when to take it Side effects How to cope with side effects Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions.
About furosemide Furosemide is a type of medicine called a diuretic. Furosemide sometimes comes mixed with other diuretics or potassium. Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? It's usual to take furosemide once a day in the morning.
Some people take it twice a day - once in the morning and again at lunchtime. Furosemide doesn't usually upset your tummy. You can take it whether or not you've eaten a meal or snack recently. The main side effect of furosemide is peeing more often than normal. Most people need to pee about 30 minutes after taking furosemide, and again within a few hours.
Do not take furosemide after 4pm or you may have to wake in the night to go to the toilet. Furosemide is also called by the brand names Frusol and Lasix.
Furosemide can be taken by most adults and children, including babies. To make sure furosemide is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have : had an allergic reaction to furosemide or any other medicine in the past low blood pressure symptoms of dehydration , such as being thirsty, having a dry mouth and dark pee liver disease diabetes difficulty peeing a disorder of your adrenal glands called Addison's disease gout an intolerance to, or you cannot absorb, some sugars such as lactose in milk or maltitol in corn syrup Tell your doctor that you are taking furosemide if you're going to have : a glucose test a test such as an X-ray or scan that involves a dye containing iodine being injected into your blood a major operation or a general anaesthetic to put you to sleep.
When will I take it? How much will I take? The usual dose in adults to treat high blood pressure is 20mg to 80mg a day. The usual dose in adults to treat heart failure or oedema fluid build up in the body is 20mg to mg a day. How to take it Furosemide doesn't usually upset your tummy so you can take it whether or not you've eaten recently.
Swallow the tablets whole with a drink of water. Some people take furosemide mixed with other diuretics or potassium: with amiloride also called co-amilofruse, Frumil or Frumil LS with spironolactone also called Lasilactone with triamterene also called Frusene with potassium also called Diumide-K Continus What if I forget to take it? What if I take too much? Side effects often get better as your body gets used to the medicine. Common side effects Common side effects of furosemide happen in more than 1 in people.
They include: peeing more than normal, most people need to pee a couple of times within a few hours of taking furosemide - you may also lose a bit of weight as your body loses water feeling thirsty with a dry mouth headaches feeling confused or dizzy muscle cramps, or weak muscles feeling or being sick nausea or vomiting a fast or irregular heartbeat Serious side effects Some people have serious side effects after taking furosemide. Tell your doctor straight away if you get : unexplained bruising or bleeding, fever, sore throat and mouth ulcers — these could be signs of a blood disorder severe tummy pain which could reach through to your back — this could be a sign of an inflamed pancreas pancreatitis severe pain in your side or blood in your urine — these could be signs of inflamed kidneys ringing in your ears tinnitus or loss of hearing Serious allergic reaction It's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to furosemide.
Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Furosemide is given to help treat fluid retention edema and swelling that is caused by congestive heart failure, liver disease, kidney disease, or other medical conditions.
It works by acting on the kidneys to increase the flow of urine. Furosemide is also used alone or together with other medicines to treat high blood pressure hypertension. High blood pressure adds to the workload of the heart and arteries.
If it continues for a long time, the heart and arteries may not function properly. This can damage the blood vessels of the brain, heart, and kidneys, resulting in a stroke, heart failure, or kidney failure.
High blood pressure may also increase the risk of heart attacks. These problems may be less likely to occur if blood pressure is controlled. In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do.
This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals.
For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of furosemide in children. However, premature babies are more likely to have unwanted effects on the kidney, which may require caution in patients receiving furosemide.
Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of furosemide in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related liver, kidney, or heart problems, which may require caution and an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving furosemide.
There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary.
When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below.
The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Water pills can affect your routine. If you take a diuretic: Your kidneys will make more urine pee. You will need to use the bathroom more often. To avoid getting up at night, take your medication at least six hours before bedtime.
Limit your salt. Do not use salt substitutes without first talking to your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Ask if you should restrict your fluids. Some diuretics can cause you to lose potassium. Ask your pharmacist if you should eat foods rich in potassium or take a potassium supplement. If you are on other medications that retain potassium, you may not need extra potassium.
You may be asked to weigh yourself every day or two. Rapid weight gain can be a sign of water retention.
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