Bumetanide — uses, dosing, side effects & the brands that sell it · pharmaranks
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.
By the pharmaranks editorial team·Reviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sources·How we research
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.
Bumetanide 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%),…
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.
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Bumetanide pill imprints
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
Frequently asked questions
What is bumetanide?
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. Chemically, bumetanide is 3-(butylamino)-4-phenoxy-5-sulfamoylbenzoic acid. It is a practically white powder having a calculated molecular weight of 364.42, and the following structural formula: Structral Formula
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, solution 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.
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.
Who shouldn’t take bumetanide
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.
Bumetanide 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…
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.