What Is Bumetanide Used For?

What is bumetanide used for? The prescription medicine is typically used to treat fluid retention in adults. It works by increasing the amount of salt and water the kidneys remove from the blood. People who have fluid retention due to congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and kidney disease, among other conditions, often take it. Bumetanide is used for off-label reasons as well, such as hypercalcemia and high blood pressure.

Bumetanide Medication

What Is Bumetanide Used For? -- An Overview

Bumetanide (Bumex^®) is a prescription medication that has been licensed to treat water retention (edema) caused by various conditions, including:

Congestive heart failure
Cirrhosis
Kidney disease or kidney failure (renal failure).

Bumetanide Uses for Water Retention

One common cause of water retention is congestive heart failure (CHF). This is a condition where the heart cannot pump enough blood throughout the body. It does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way that it should. This can lead to symptoms such as shortness of breath; swelling of the feet, ankles, or lower legs; and rapid weight gain (see Symptoms of Congestive Heart Failure).

Bumetanide can help with water retention by helping the body to get rid of the extra fluid. However, the drug does not cure congestive heart failure or other conditions that cause the body to retain fluid.

There are many other causes of fluid retention, including kidney failure (renal failure) and cirrhosis of the liver. Bumetanide can be used to treat fluid retention due to these conditions as well. The drug is especially useful for people who are allergic to Lasix^® (furosemide), a similar diuretic. Most people who are allergic to Lasix will not be allergic to bumetanide.

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