KEEP ALL MEDICINES OUT OF THE REACH OF CHILDREN

BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICINE PLEASE READ THIS LEAFLET CAREFULLY

This leaflet contains a summary of the information about your medicine, Furosemide Tablets 500mg.

Your medicine is in the form of a tablet. Each tablet contains 500mg of the active ingredient Furosemide. Each tablet also contains lactose, microcrystalline cellulose, polysorbate, sodium starch glycollate, magnesium stearate, maize starch, silicon dioxide, talc and quinoline yellow.

Furosemide Tablets 500mg are yellow and marked ‘FE 500’ on one side and ‘G’ on the other. The tablets have a groove so they may be broken easily.

Furosemide Tablets 500mg are available in containers of 100, 250, 500 and 1000¹ tablets.

Your pharmacist will dispense the number of tablets prescribed by your doctor.

(¹Only marketed pack sizes will feature on the printed leaflet)

Product Licence Holder: Generics [UK] Ltd, Station Close, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 1TL Manufacturer:    Alphapharm [Pty] Ltd, Carole Park, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Your medicine contains FUROSEMIDE which belongs to a group of drugs called DIURETICS (or ‘water’ tablets). Diuretics work by reducing the amount of water in the body by acting on the kidneys to increase the flow of urine. Otherwise, too much fluid in the body can raise your blood pressure and overwork the different organs of your body leading to their damage. Furosemide Tablets 500mg can be used to treat the build up of fluid in the body caused by kidney problems.

You must tell your doctor before taking your medicine if:

•    you are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant

•    you are breast-feeding

•    you have taken Furosemide or a similar medicine before and you suffered an unpleasant or allergic reaction including asthma, skin rash or an itchy, runny nose

•    you suffer from shakiness and confusion caused by liver disease

•    you are being treated for digoxin overdose

•    you suffer from a rare condition called porphyria

•    you have difficulty passing urine

•    you suffer from gout

•    you have liver or kidney problems

•    you have prostate problems

•    you have diabetes mellitus

•    you have a disease of the adrenal gland

•    you are elderly

•    you are taking other medicines which can cause a drop in blood pressure

•    you have other medical conditions that are risks for a drop in blood pressure

*    Medicine to treat a heart condition or high blood pressure e.g. digoxin, methyldopa, an ACE inhibitor (such as captopril), mexilitine, tocainide, lidocaine

*    Medicine used to raise blood pressure e.g. ephedrine, methoxamine

*    Antibiotics such as cefaloridine, gentamicin

*    Painkillers such as indometacin, aspirin

*    Corticosteroids e.g. prednisolone

*    Laxatives

*    Lithium, to treat mental illness

*    Antidiabetic medicine

*    Theophylline

*    Antihistamines, to help relieve allergies

Do not take these tablets if you think you are allergic to any of the ingredients especially lactose or quinoline yellow.

Do not drive or operate machines if these tablets make you feel dizzy or your vision becomes blurred. Your doctor will give you regular blood tests and check your fluid loss.

Elderly patients are likely to be more sensitive to the effects of Furosemide, so the doctor may give lower doses than those stated below.

ADULTS

The usual starting dose is half a tablet (250mg) of Furosemide a day. Your doctor may slowly increase this dose every four to six hours, in some cases up to the maximum of four 500mg Furosemide Tablets in 24 hours.

CHILDREN

Furosemide Tablets 500mg should not be given to children.

If you forget to take your dose of Furosemide Tablets, unless it is almost time for your next dose, take it as soon as you remember. Otherwise, if you miss a dose do not double the next dose, just carry on as before.

If you take too much of your medicine contact your doctor immediately

Side effects from taking Furosemide Tablets 500mg are uncommon but may include

•    feeling sick

•    diarrhoea

•    blurred vision

•    dizziness

•    headache

•    deafness (sometimes irreversible)

Other side effects which rarely occur include sensitivity of the skin to sunlight, red swollen skin, skin rash, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, abdominal pain with sickness, kidney problems in premature babies, difficulty in passing urine (a temporary rise of creatinine levels in the blood may occur), loss of calcium from the body, dizziness on standing up, muscle spasm, tingling or numbness in the arms or legs, gout, sore throat, fever, feeling unusually tired, ringing in the ears, a temporary rise in cholesterol and fats in the blood. Patients prone to diabetes may notice the symptoms of diabetes e.g. thirst, loss of weight, passing more urine than usual and diabetics on insulin may find they need to increase their daily dose. Patients suffering from metabolic alkalosis may notice a worsening of their symptoms such as painful cramps in the hands and feet, facial twitches, spasm of the larynx, convulsions.

Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):

•    acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) (acute febrile drug eruption)

•    dizziness, fainting and loss of consciousness (caused by symptomatic hypotension)

Reporting of side effects

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE AFTER THE EXPIRY DATE SHOWN ON THE LABEL. REMEMBER this medicine was prescribed by your doctor for you.

DO NOT give it to others: It may harm them.

Protect from light. Store in a cool dry place.

Date of preparation of leaflet:

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   you are already taking any of the following other medicines:

* Other diuretics (‘water’ tablets)