Bumetanide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Bumetanide is a loop diuretic sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for ascites, edema and heart failure. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Loop Diuretic
- Treats (across its forms)
- Ascites, Edema and Heart Failure
- Available as
- Tablet · Injectable · Spray/Inhaler
- Sold as
- 3 products — Bumex, Bumetanide and Enbumyst
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $4 for a 30-count supply — not your price
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
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How Bumex is dosed
From the FDA label for Bumex (application NDA018225). Other bumetanide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Individualize dosage with careful monitoring of patient response. Oral Administration The usual total daily dosage of bumetanide tablets is 0.5 mg to 2 mg and in most patients is given as a single dose. If the diuretic response to an initial dose of bumetanide tablets is not adequate, in view of its rapid onset and short duration of action, a second or third dose may be given at 4- to 5-hour intervals up to a maximum daily dose of 10 mg. An intermittent dose schedule, whereby bumetanide tablets are given on alternate days or for 3 to 4 days with rest periods of 1 to 2 days in between, is recommended as the safest and most effective method for the continued control of edema. In patients with hepatic failure, keep the dosage to a minimum. Because cross-sensitivity with furosemide has rarely been observed, bumetanide can be substituted at approximately a 1:40 ratio of bumetanide in proportion to furosemide in patients allergic to furosemide. Parenteral Administration Bumetanide injection may be administered parenterally (intravenously and intramuscularly) to patients in whom gastrointestinal absorption may be impaired or in whom oral administration is not practical. Terminate parenteral treatment and institute oral treatment as soon as possible.
Everything below is the FDA label for Bumex (tablet). Bumetanide is also sold as injectable and spray/inhaler, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Bumex side effects
The most frequent clinical adverse reactions considered probably or possibly related to bumetanide are muscle cramps (seen in 1.1% of treated patients), dizziness (1.1%), hypotension (0.8%), headache (0.6%), nausea (0.6%) and encephalopathy (in patients with pre-existing liver disease) (0.6%). One or more of these adverse reactions have been reported in approximately 4.1% of patients treated with bumetanide. Serious skin reactions (i.e., Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis) have been reported in association with bumetanide use. Less frequent clinical adverse reactions to bumetanide are impaired hearing (0.5%), pruritus (0.4%), electrocardiogram changes (0.4%), weakness (0.2%), hives (0.2%), abdominal pain (0.2%), arthritic pain (0.2%), musculoskeletal pain (0.2%), rash (0.2%) and vomiting (0.2%). One or more of these adverse reactions have been reported in approximately 2.9% of patients treated with bumetanide. Other clinical adverse reactions, which have each occurred in approximately 0.1% of patients, are vertigo, chest pain, ear discomfort, fatigue, dehydration, sweating, hyperventilation, dry mouth, upset stomach, renal failure, asterixis, itching, nipple tenderness, diarrhea, premature ejaculation and difficulty maintaining an erection. Laboratory abnormalities reported have included hyperuricemia (in 18.4% of patients tested), hypochloremia (14.9%),…
Who shouldn’t take Bumex
Bumetanide is contraindicated in anuria. Although bumetanide can be used to induce diuresis in renal insufficiency, any marked increase in blood urea nitrogen or creatinine, or the development of oliguria during therapy of patients with progressive renal disease, is an indication for discontinuation of treatment with bumetanide. Bumetanide is also contraindicated in patients in hepatic coma or in states of severe electrolyte depletion until the condition is improved or corrected. Bumetanide is contraindicated in patients hypersensitive to this drug.
Bumex drug interactions
Drugs with Ototoxic Potential (see WARNINGS ) Especially in the presence of impaired renal function, the use of parenterally administered bumetanide in patients to whom aminoglycoside antibiotics are also being given should be avoided, except in life-threatening conditions. Drugs with Nephrotoxic Potential There has been no experience with the concurrent use of bumetanide with drugs known to have a nephrotoxic potential. Therefore, the simultaneous administration of these drugs should be avoided. Lithium Lithium should generally not be given with diuretics (such as bumetanide) because they reduce its renal clearance and add a high risk of lithium toxicity. Probenecid Pretreatment with probenecid reduces both the natriuresis and hyperreninemia produced by bumetanide. This antagonistic effect of probenecid on bumetanide natriuresis is not due to a direct action on sodium excretion but is probably secondary to its inhibitory effect on renal tubular secretion of bumetanide. Thus, probenecid should not be administered concurrently with bumetanide. Indomethacin Indomethacin blunts the increases in urine volume and sodium excretion seen during bumetanide treatment and inhibits the bumetanide-induced increase in plasma renin activity. Concurrent therapy with bumetanide is thus not recommended. Antihypertensives Bumetanide may potentiate the effect of various antihypertensive drugs, necessitating a reduction in the dosage of these drugs. Digoxin Interaction studies in humans have shown no effect on digoxin blood levels. Anticoagulants Interaction studies in humans have shown bumetanide to have no effect on warfarin metabolism or on plasma prothrombin activity.
Every bumetanide product we track (3)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $4 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $4 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | Generic | $4 | View → |
What bumetanide pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E;128 | 0.5 mg | green | round | — |
| E;129 | 1 mg | yellow | round | — |
| E;130 | 2 mg | brown | round | — |
| UpArrowhead32 | 1 mg | yellow | round | — |
| UpArrowhead33 | 2 mg | white | round | — |
| UpArrowhead31 | 0.5 mg | white | round | — |
| LI | 1 mg | white | oval | — |
| AC41 | 1 mg | white | round | — |
How long bumetanide keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some bumetanide labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 24 hours.
The in-use limits bumetanide labels print, quotedBumetanide and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for bumetanide: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadIt is unknown if bumetanide is excreted into breastmilk. It should be avoided while breastfeeding a newborn because it may decrease milk flow or completely suppress lactation. Low doses in mothers whose lactation is well established are unlikely to suppress lactation.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised November 15, 2025. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about bumetanide
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 20,432 reports naming bumetanide, and the FDA flagged 78% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- dyspnoea1,962 reports
- acute kidney injury1,416 reports
- fatigue1,321 reports
- diarrhoea1,234 reports
- nausea1,137 reports
- dizziness992 reports
- headache944 reports
- pneumonia851 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean bumetanide caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved September 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Bumex?
Bumetanide is a loop diuretic available as 0.5 mg (light green), 1 mg (yellow) and 2 mg (peach) tablets for oral administration; each tablet also contains anhydrous lactose, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, pregelatinized starch and talc, with the following dye systems: 0.5 mg—D&C Yellow No. 10 aluminum lake and FD&C Blue No. 1 aluminum lake; 1 mg—D&C Yellow No. 10 aluminum lake; 2 mg—red iron oxide.
What kind of drug is bumetanide?
The FDA classifies bumetanide as a loop diuretic. Loop diuretics such as furosemide block a salt-transport protein (the Na-K-2Cl cotransporter) in a part of the kidney called the loop of Henle. This stops sodium and chloride from being reabsorbed, so the body flushes out extra salt and water, relieving fluid buildup and swelling. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take bumetanide with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run bumetanide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is bumetanide sold under?
We track 3 bumetanide-containing products in the U.S.: Bumex, Bumetanide and Enbumyst. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does bumetanide come in?
Across the brands we track, bumetanide is currently marketed as tablet, injectable and spray/inhaler, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic bumetanide?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic bumetanide product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Bumetanide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/bumetanide
- MLA
- “Bumetanide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/bumetanide.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for bumetanide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.