Bumetanide
- Class: Loop diuretic
- Used for: fluid overload
- Say it: byoo-MET-uh-nide
- Forms: tablet, injection
Same loop transporter, same mechanism — but bumetanide is about forty times more potent by weight and is far more reliably absorbed when the gut wall is oedematous.
Side effects
Common: low potassium, dehydration, muscle cramps
Serious: hearing loss, kidney injury
Typical dose
0.5–2 mg once or twice daily
Doses above 1 mg are usually split between morning and early afternoon. Oral and intravenous doses are roughly equivalent here, unlike furosemide.
Check yourself
Why might bumetanide succeed where oral furosemide has failed in severe heart failure?
- It is absorbed far more reliably when the gut wall is oedematous
- It acts on the distal tubule instead of the loop
- It does not cause potassium loss
- It is a potassium-sparing diuretic
Show answer
A. It is absorbed far more reliably when the gut wall is oedematous
Both block the same loop transporter. The difference is pharmacokinetic: furosemide's oral absorption is erratic and falls further when the bowel wall is swollen, so the drug never reaches its target reliably.
See it, don't memorize it
The app has the mechanism comic and a patient case for Bumetanide – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.