Furosemide
LasixPubChem CID 3440 · 3D model
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Blocks a salt-reabsorbing pump in a specific part of the kidney, so more salt and water pass out as urine instead of being pulled back into the blood, easing fluid buildup.
How it works
Furosemide works on a specific stretch of the kidney's filtering tubes called the loop of Henle, blocking a pump that would otherwise pull salt back into the blood. With that pump blocked, more salt — and the water that follows it — passes out in the urine instead of being reabsorbed. Because this segment of the kidney normally reabsorbs a large share of the body's salt, blocking it here produces a stronger, faster fluid loss than gentler diuretics that act elsewhere in the kidney. It starts working within about an hour and lasts several hours.
What it’s used for
Used to reduce fluid buildup caused by heart failure, liver disease, or kidney disease, and also used to treat high blood pressure, either on its own or together with other blood pressure medications.
- Mechanism
- Loop diuretic (Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter inhibitor)
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Cardiovascular