Furosemide (Lasix) can interact with other medications and some supplements. For example, furosemide can interact with antibiotics, such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Larotid) and cephalexin.
Furosemide oral tablet is a generic prescription drug used to treat:
- high blood pressure in adults
- edema in adults and certain children
Furosemide oral tablet is available as the brand-name drug Lasix. Furosemide also comes in an oral solution and injectable form, which typically have the same interactions as the oral tablet.
This article focuses on interactions for furosemide oral tablets.
An interaction can occur when one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.
Keep reading to learn about furosemide’s possible interactions.
Before you start taking furosemide, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether furosemide interacts with herbs, vitamins, or supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with furosemide?” section.)
If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
The following table lists drugs that may interact with furosemide. Keep in mind that this table does not include all drugs that may interact with furosemide. For more information about some of these interactions, see the “Drug interactions explained” section.
| Drug group or drug name | Drug examples | What can happen |
|---|---|---|
| certain antibiotics | • penicillins, such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Larotid) and dicloxacillin • aminoglycosides, such as tobramycin (Tobi, Bethkis, others) and vancomycin (Firvanq, Vancocin, others) • cephalosporins, such as cephalexin and cefdinir | can increase the risk of side effects of furosemide or the antibiotic |
| certain antipsychotics | • aripiprazole (Abilify, Aristada, others) • brexpiprazole (Rexulti) • haloperidol (Haldol) | can increase the risk of low blood pressure |
| angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors | • fosinopril • lisinopril (Qbrelis, Zestril) • ramipril (Vostally) | can increase the risk of severely low blood pressure and lead to kidney problems |
| angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) | • losartan (Arbli, Cozaar) • telmisartan (Micardis) • irbesartan (Avapro) | can increase the risk of severely low blood pressure and lead to kidney problems |
| proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) | • esomeprazole (Nexium) • lansoprazole (Prevacid) • omeprazole (Prilosec) | can increase the risk of low blood magnesium |
| thyroid hormone drugs | • levothyroxine (Synthroid, Unithroid, others) • desiccated thyroid (Armour Thyroid, NP Thyroid, others) • liothyronine (Cytomel) | can make thyroid hormone drugs less effective |
| nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) | • ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) • meloxicam (Qamzova, Xifyrm) • naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, others) | can make furosemide less effective |
| laxatives | • magnesium citrate (Citroma, others) • methylcellulose (Citrucel, others) • psyllium (Metamucil, others) | can increase the risk of low blood potassium |
| lithium (Lithobid) | — | can increase the risk of side effects from lithium |
| topiramate (Topamax, Trokendi XR, others) | — | can increase the risk of low blood potassium |
Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take furosemide. These are known as contraindications. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe this medication for you. The following list includes furosemide’s contraindications.
If you have anuria: If you have anuria, your doctor likely won’t prescribe furosemide for you. (With anuria, your kidneys do not produce urine.) This is because furosemide may not work as well as it should in people with this condition. Your doctor can recommend other treatment options for you.
If you’ve had an allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to furosemide or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe furosemide for you. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.
Before you start taking furosemide, talk with your doctor if any of the factors above apply to you. Your doctor can determine whether furosemide is safe for you to take.
Furosemide is not known to interact with alcohol.
However, drinking alcohol during furosemide treatment may raise your risk of orthostatic hypotension as a side effect. With this condition, you have a sudden drop in blood pressure when you stand up. This may lead to lightheadedness or dizziness.
If you have questions about consuming alcohol while taking furosemide, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Learn more about certain drug interactions that can occur with furosemide.
Interaction with certain antibiotics
Furosemide can interact with certain antibiotics, which are used to treat bacterial infections.
Taking furosemide with certain antibiotics may raise your risk of side effects from either drug. This may include serious side effects such as kidney damage or ear damage.
Both furosemide and certain antibiotics can cause these side effects on their own. These risks may be higher when the drugs are taken together.
In some instances, furosemide may interfere with how your body clears an antibiotic. This can cause the antibiotic to build up in your system, which may raise your risk of side effects.
Here are some antibiotics that may interact with furosemide:
- penicillins, such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Larotid) and dicloxacillin
- aminoglycosides, such as tobramycin (Tobi, Bethkis, others) and vancomycin (Firvanq, Vancocin, others)
- cephalosporins, such as cephalexin and cefdinir
What you can do
If you need an antibiotic while taking furosemide, make sure the prescribing doctor knows about your furosemide treatment. They can choose an antibiotic that’s less likely to interact with furosemide.
If you have questions about taking furosemide with an antibiotic, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Interaction with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)
Furosemide may interact with PPIs, which are used to reduce stomach acid.
Both furosemide and PPIs can cause low blood magnesium as a side effect. Taking them together may increase this risk even more.
Here are some PPIs that may interact with furosemide:
- esomeprazole (Nexium)
- lansoprazole (Prevacid)
- omeprazole (Prilosec)
What you can do
If you take furosemide with a PPI, your doctor may monitor your magnesium levels more closely. If your levels drop below the typical range, they’ll recommend the best way to manage it.
If you have questions about taking furosemide with a PPI, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Interaction with laxatives
Furosemide can interact with laxatives, which are used to manage constipation.
Long-term use of laxatives while you’re taking furosemide can increase your risk of low blood potassium. Both drugs can cause this side effect, and the risk is higher when they’re taken together.
Here are some laxatives that may interact with furosemide:
- magnesium citrate (Citroma, others)
- methylcellulose (Citrucel, others)
- psyllium (Metamucil, others)
What you can do
Before taking a laxative with furosemide, talk with your doctor. They can recommend whether it’s safe to take both and may suggest ways to lower your risk of low potassium.
If you have questions about taking furosemide with a laxative, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Medical PerspectiveAre diet and exercise enough to manage high blood pressure?
“For some patients, diet and exercise alone can manage high blood pressure, but even when medication is needed, these lifestyle habits are still important for good blood pressure management.”
— Kiran Khanani, PharmD
Learn more about high blood pressure.
Quotes represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
Furosemide may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or lab tests.
Here are additional interactions that may occur with furosemide. Note that this information does not include all other possible interactions with furosemide.
Does furosemide interact with supplements?
Furosemide may interact with fish oil supplements and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplements. Taking furosemide with these supplements could lead to low blood pressure.
Before you start taking furosemide, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs, vitamins, or supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.
If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Furosemide interactions with herbs
Furosemide can interact with ginseng, which has a variety of uses. A few examples include reducing inflammation and boosting energy.
Taking furosemide with ginseng could make furosemide less effective.
For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking ginseng with furosemide.
Furosemide and vitamins
There are currently no reports of furosemide interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future.
For this reason, it’s important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while taking furosemide.
Does furosemide interact with food?
Your doctor may recommend limiting how much licorice you eat during furosemide treatment. Large amounts of licorice can lower potassium levels, and furosemide may also reduce potassium. Using them together can raise your risk of having low potassium levels.
If you have questions about eating certain foods during your treatment with furosemide, talk with your doctor.
Does furosemide interact with vaccines?
There are currently no reports of furosemide interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your furosemide treatment, talk with your doctor.
Does furosemide interact with lab tests?
There are currently no reports of furosemide interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with furosemide, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.
Does furosemide interact with cannabis or CBD?There are currently no reports of furosemide interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with furosemide.
Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.
Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with furosemide. Before taking furosemide, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether furosemide is right for you.
Health conditions or other factors that might interact with furosemide include:
Anuria: If you have anuria, your doctor will likely not prescribe furosemide. (With anuria, your kidneys do not produce urine.) For details, see the “When should I avoid furosemide?” section.
Conditions that cause urinary retention: Furosemide may worsen symptoms of urinary retention (inability to empty the bladder). If you have a condition that causes this symptom, talk with your doctor before taking furosemide. Examples of these conditions include an enlarged prostate and a narrowing of the urethra. Your doctor can help decide whether furosemide is a safe treatment option.
Low protein levels: If you have low protein levels, your doctor can recommend whether furosemide is a safe treatment option. Low protein can raise your risk of ear damage as a side effect of furosemide.
Lupus: If you have lupus, talk with your doctor before starting furosemide. The drug may cause worsened lupus symptoms. Your doctor can help determine whether furosemide is a safe treatment option.
Kidney problems: If you have a kidney problem, talk with your doctor before taking furosemide. Having a severe kidney problem can raise your risk of ear damage as a side effect of furosemide. Your doctor can recommend whether furosemide is a safe treatment option.
Gout: If you have gout or high levels of uric acid, talk with your doctor before starting furosemide. The drug can raise uric acid levels, which may trigger or worsen gout attacks. Your doctor will help you decide whether furosemide is a suitable treatment option.
Pregnancy: It’s not known whether furosemide is safe to take during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before taking furosemide.
Breastfeeding: It may not be safe to take furosemide while breastfeeding. The drug passes into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed. Furosemide may also reduce how much breast milk your body makes.
If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.
Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to furosemide or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe furosemide. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better for you.
If you’ve had an allergic reaction to a sulfa drug, taking furosemide could cause another allergic reaction. An example of a sulfa drug is sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra). This is because furosemide has a similar makeup to sulfa drugs, so your body may recognize it in the same way and trigger an allergic reaction.
Your doctor can recommend whether furosemide is a safe treatment option.
Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with furosemide. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:
- whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis
- the
list of medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs - what to do if you start taking a new drug during your furosemide treatment
It’s also important to understand furosemide’s
If you did not get paperwork with furosemide, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you. If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.
Taking furosemide exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.
Disclaimer: MyistyClan has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.