Prescription medication · Loop Diuretic
bumetanide
Also sold as Bumex. This medicine treats swelling (edema) caused by heart failure, liver problems, or kidney problems.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 25,027
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 2
- InteractionsFew interactions
- In shortage
- FDA status
What the data shows
bumetanide (Bumex) is a prescription Loop Diuretic, reported at a middle-of-the-pack volume (25,027 FDA reports), with 2 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
bumetanide (Bumex) is a prescription Loop Diuretic. This medicine treats swelling (edema) caused by heart failure, liver problems, or kidney problems.
Bumetanide is a water pill (diuretic). It helps your body get rid of extra water and salt.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Shortage Alert
bumetanide is currently listed as in shortage by the FDA. Affected manufacturer: Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC. Status: Available.
View all drug shortages →Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.13/unit
Generic Available
Yes (19 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
This medicine treats swelling (edema) caused by heart failure, liver problems, or kidney problems.
Common side effects
Muscle cramps, Dizziness, Low blood pressure
Key warnings
Bumetanide is a strong diuretic.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from bumetanide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Bumetanide works in your kidneys to increase the amount of salt and water that you pass in your urine. This helps to lower the amount of fluid in your body. It starts working quickly and does not last very long.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 25,027 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for bumetanide, by number of reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
2,495 reports
- Acute Kidney Injury
Acute Kidney Injury
1,657 reports
- Death
Death
1,642 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
1,639 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
1,474 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
1,454 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
1,210 reports
- Headache
Headache
1,144 reports
- Renal Failure
Renal Failure
1,133 reports
- Pneumonia
Pneumonia
1,087 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for bumetanide each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where bumetanide sits
bumetanide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 60% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is bumetanide; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 25,027 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 1999–2025.
Total Reports
25,027
Reports Mentioning Death
3,999
16.0% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
12,100
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DYSPNOEA | 2,495 |
| 2 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 1,657 |
| 3 | DEATH | 1,642 |
| 4 | FATIGUE | 1,639 |
| 5 | DIARRHOEA | 1,474 |
| 6 | NAUSEA | 1,454 |
| 7 | DIZZINESS | 1,210 |
| 8 | HEADACHE | 1,144 |
| 9 | RENAL FAILURE | 1,133 |
| 10 | PNEUMONIA | 1,087 |
| 11 | ASTHENIA | 1,041 |
| 12 | PAIN | 1,008 |
| 13 | HYPOTENSION | 998 |
| 14 | CARDIAC FAILURE CONGESTIVE | 951 |
| 15 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 894 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Bumetanide is a strong diuretic. If you take too much, it can cause you to lose too much water and electrolytes. You need to be carefully watched by your doctor, and your dose needs to be adjusted to fit your needs.
Known Drug Interactions
Drug Interactions Probenecid Probenecid is known to interact with the metabolism or renal tubular excretion of many drugs (e.g., acetaminophen, acyclovir, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, aminosalicylic acid, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, bumetanide, clofibrate, methotrexate, famotidine, furosemide, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, theophylline, and zidovudine).
Mechanism: Probenecid, which is given with cidofovir, interferes with how the kidneys remove bumetanide from the body. This can cause the levels of bumetanide to rise in your system.
No dosing adjustments required for the following: Oral Antidiabetic Agents Metformin (1000 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Pioglitazone (45 mg) 50 mg ↔ ↔ Sitagliptin (100 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Glimepiride (4 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Voglibose (0.2 mg three times daily) 10 mg ↔ ↔ Other Medications Hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg) 50 mg ↔ ↔ Bumetanide (1 mg) 10 mg once daily for 7 days ↔ ↔ Valsartan (320 mg) 20 mg ↓12% [↓3%, ↓20%] ↔ Simvastatin (40 mg) 20 mg ↔ ↔ Anti-infective Agent Rifampin (600 mg once daily for 6 days) 10 mg ↓7% [↓22%, ↑11%] ↓22% [↓27%, ↓17%] Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Agent Mefenamic Acid (loading dose of...
Mechanism: These medications do not significantly change how the other is processed by your body.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
What should I avoid while taking bumetanide?
Can bumetanide cause dehydration?
Will bumetanide cure my condition?
Can I drive while taking bumetanide?
What if I have kidney problems?
Can bumetanide affect my blood sugar?
How long does it take for bumetanide to work?
Can I take bumetanide with other medications?
What are the symptoms of low potassium?
When should I call my doctor?
What are the common side effects of bumetanide?
Does bumetanide interact with other medications?
What drug class is bumetanide?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for bumetanide?
Is bumetanide currently in shortage?
Related Medications in Loop Diuretic
Other drugs grouped near bumetanide - same-class peers and common alternatives.
adenosine
Adenocard
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amiodarone
Cordarone, Pacerone
Amiodarone (Pacerone) is a medicine used to treat life-threatening, irregular heartbeats.
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atropine
AtroPen
Atropine is a medicine that can temporarily block severe effects on your body.
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carvedilol
Coreg
Carvedilol is a medicine that lowers blood pressure and helps your heart work better.
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digoxin
Lanoxin
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a medicine that helps your heart pump better.
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Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for bumetanide: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 25,027.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 15.98%.
- donepezil Δ 0.02 pts · 35,138 reports · Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitor 16.00%death share
- cilostazol Δ 0.02 pts · 5,992 reports · PDE3 Inhibitor (Antiplatelet) 15.95%death share
- prednisolone Δ 0.09 pts · 173,227 reports · Corticosteroid 16.07%death share
- magnesium oxide Δ 0.21 pts · 39,831 reports · Mineral Supplement 15.77%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
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Generic vs Brand Name Drugs
FDA requirements, cost savings, and when the difference matters
Narrow Therapeutic Index Drugs
FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for bumetanide
The FDA label for bumetanide (sold under brand names such as Bumex) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Loop Diuretic class. This medicine treats swelling (edema) caused by heart failure, liver problems, or kidney problems. Official labeling lists 14 commonly reported side effects, including Muscle cramps, Dizziness, Low blood pressure.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 25,027 voluntary reports. The database also lists 2 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated minor severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.13.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC). Shortage status: FDA Drug Shortages Database.
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: January 8, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages