Furosemide Injection
Furosemide can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: decreased urination; dry mouth; thirst; nausea; vomiting; weakness; drowsiness; confusion; muscle pain or cramps; or rapid or pounding heartbeats.
🔔 Why is this medication prescribed?
Furosemide injection is used in adults and children who cannot take oral medications or in emergency situations to treat edema (fluid retention; excess fluid held in body tissues) caused by various medical problems, including heart failure, pulmonary edema (excess fluid in the lungs), kidney, and liver disease. Furosemide injection (Furoscix) is also used to treat edema caused by certain types of chronic heart failure in adults who cannot take oral medications. Furosemide is in a class of medications called diuretics (‘water pills’). It works by causing the kidneys to get rid of unneeded water and salt from the body into the urine.
🔔 How should this medicine be used?
Furosemide injection comes as a solution (liquid) to be injected intramuscularly (into a muscle) or intravenously (into a vein) by a doctor or nurse in a medical office or hospital. Furosemide injection (Furoscix) comes in an on-body delivery system (on-body injector with a prefilled cartridge) to be injected subcutaneously (just under the skin) at home.
If furosemide injection is given intramuscularly or intravenously to treat edema caused by various medical problems, it is usually given as a single dose or it may be given once or twice a day. Your dosing schedule will depend on your condition and on how you respond to treatment.
If furosemide injection (Furoscix) is given to treat adults with edema caused by certain types of heart failure, it is usually given in an on-body delivery system to be injected subcutaneously (just under the skin) over 5 hours. During this time, you will need to limit your activity and limit bending. You should notice an increased need to urinate starting about 1 hour after the subcutaneous injection begins. This may last up to 8 hours, Make sure that you have access to a bathroom for up to 8 hours after beginning the subcutaneous injection using the on-body injector. Use furosemide injection for subcutaneous injection exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of this medication or use it more often or for a longer period of time than prescribed by your doctor.
Your doctor may decide to allow you or a caregiver to perform the subcutaneous injections using the on-body delivery system at home. Your healthcare provider will show you how to prepare and perform the injections at home. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s instructions for use information for the patient. Be sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions about how to inject the medication.
Preventable medical errors kill about 22,000 patients a year, according to research from the Yale School of Medicine. That’s much less than a previously reported number of 250,000 deaths a year where medical error is to blame.
Check the cartridge to be sure that the expiration date printed on the cartridge has not passed. Look closely at the liquid in the cartridge. The liquid should be clear to slightly yellow and should not be cloudy or discolored. Do not drop the on-body injector or cartridge or allow the injector to get wet. After you apply the on-body injector, do not shower, bathe, swim, or do activities that will make you sweat when you are wearing the on-body injector. Call your pharmacist if there are any problems with the package or the cartridge and do not inject the medication.
You can apply the on-body injector on the abdomen (stomach) on either side of your navel in a flat, hairless area above the belt line and below the rib cage. Choose a different spot each time you apply the on-body injector. Do not apply the on-body injector in an area directly under a belt or waistband. Be sure that the skin in the area where you plan to apply the on-body injector is clean, dry, and healthy. Do not apply the on-body injector to skin that is red, irritated, or not intact. Also do not apply the on-body injector to skin that you have recently treated with creams, lotions, oils, or other skin products. Dispose of used on-body delivery systems in a puncture-resistant container. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container.
Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer’s information for the patient.
