Prescription medication · Loop Diuretic
torsemide
Also sold as Demadex. Torsemide treats swelling from heart, kidney, or liver problems.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 31,122
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- 11
- InteractionsSeveral interactions
- $0.07
- Generic price (NADAC)
What the data shows
torsemide (Demadex) is a prescription Loop Diuretic, reported at a middle-of-the-pack volume (31,122 FDA reports), with 11 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.
torsemide (Demadex) is a prescription Loop Diuretic. Torsemide treats swelling from heart, kidney, or liver problems.
Torsemide is a water pill (diuretic). It helps remove extra fluid from your body and lowers blood pressure.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.07/unit
Generic Available
Yes (5 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Torsemide treats swelling from heart, kidney, or liver problems.
Common side effects
Excessive urination
Key warnings
Torsemide can cause you to lose too much fluid.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from torsemide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Torsemide works in your kidneys to help your body get rid of extra salt and water. This lowers the amount of fluid in your body. As a result, this can lower your blood pressure.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 31,122 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for torsemide, by number of reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
3,305 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
2,066 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
1,927 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
1,916 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
1,823 reports
- Acute Kidney Injury
Acute Kidney Injury
1,734 reports
- Death
Death
1,639 reports
- General Physical Health Deterioration
General Physical Health Deterioration
1,581 reports
- Oedema Peripheral
Oedema Peripheral
1,527 reports
- Fall
Fall
1,514 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 torsemide 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 torsemide sits
torsemide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 65% 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 torsemide; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 31,122 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
31,122
Reports Mentioning Death
4,265
13.7% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
16,889
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DYSPNOEA | 3,305 |
| 2 | FATIGUE | 2,066 |
| 3 | NAUSEA | 1,927 |
| 4 | DIARRHOEA | 1,916 |
| 5 | DIZZINESS | 1,823 |
| 6 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 1,734 |
| 7 | DEATH | 1,639 |
| 8 | GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION | 1,581 |
| 9 | OEDEMA PERIPHERAL | 1,527 |
| 10 | FALL | 1,514 |
| 11 | ANAEMIA | 1,406 |
| 12 | HYPOTENSION | 1,405 |
| 13 | HEADACHE | 1,386 |
| 14 | CARDIAC FAILURE | 1,340 |
| 15 | PNEUMONIA | 1,286 |
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
Torsemide can cause you to lose too much fluid. This can lead to low blood pressure and kidney problems. Your doctor should check your fluid levels and kidney function. Torsemide can also cause problems with electrolytes (like potassium) and blood sugar. Your doctor should check these regularly.
Known Drug Interactions
( 7.4 ) Lithium: Risk of lithium toxicity ( 7.5 ) Renin-angiotensin inhibitors: Increased risk of hypotension and renal impairment. 7.5 Lithium Like other diuretics, torsemide reduces the renal clearance of lithium, inducing a high risk of lithium toxicity. Monitor lithium levels periodically when torsemide is coadministered.
Mechanism: This water pill makes it harder for your kidneys to remove lithium from your body. This can cause lithium to build up to toxic levels.
Because of its inhibition of CYP2C9 metabolism, torsemide may affect the efficacy and safety of sensitive CYP2C9 substrates, such as celecoxib, or of substrates with a narrow therapeutic range, such as warfarin or phenytoin.
Mechanism: Torsemide slows down the liver's ability to process celecoxib, which can affect how safe or effective the drug is.
Torsemide may affect the efficacy and safety of sensitive CYP2C9 substrates or of substrates with a narrow therapeutic range, such as warfarin or phenytoin. Because of its inhibition of CYP2C9 metabolism, torsemide may affect the efficacy and safety of sensitive CYP2C9 substrates, such as celecoxib, or of substrates with a narrow therapeutic range, such as warfarin or phenytoin.
Mechanism: Torsemide interferes with the way your liver breaks down warfarin, which can cause the drug to build up or work differently.
Concomitant use of CYP2C9 inhibitors (e.g., amiodarone, fluconazole, miconazole, oxandrolone) can decrease torsemide clearance and increase torsemide plasma concentrations.
Mechanism: Fluconazole blocks the enzyme that breaks down torsemide. This causes the drug to build up in your body.
Concomitant use of CYP2C9 inducers (e.g., rifampin) increase torsemide clearance and decrease plasma torsemide concentrations.
Mechanism: Rifampin speeds up the process of removing torsemide from your body. This can make the torsemide less effective.
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 torsemide?
Can torsemide affect my potassium levels?
How long does it take for torsemide to start working?
Can I drink alcohol while taking torsemide?
What if I have kidney problems?
Can torsemide cause hearing problems?
What are the symptoms of low potassium?
Can I take torsemide with other blood pressure medications?
What if I have diabetes?
When should I call my doctor?
What are the common side effects of torsemide?
Does torsemide interact with other medications?
What drug class is torsemide?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for torsemide?
Related Medications in Loop Diuretic
Other drugs grouped near torsemide - same-class peers and common alternatives.
adenosine
Adenocard
Adenosine (Adenocard) is a medicine used to treat certain types of irregular heartbeats.
Compare with torsemide →
amiodarone
Cordarone, Pacerone
Amiodarone (Pacerone) is a medicine used to treat life-threatening, irregular heartbeats.
Compare with torsemide →
atropine
AtroPen
Atropine is a medicine that can temporarily block severe effects on your body.
Compare with torsemide →
bumetanide
Bumex
Bumetanide is a water pill (diuretic).
Compare with torsemide →
carvedilol
Coreg
Carvedilol is a medicine that lowers blood pressure and helps your heart work better.
Compare with torsemide →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for torsemide: 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: 31,122.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 13.70%.
- fluoxetine Δ 0.07 pts · 64,119 reports · Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) 13.78%death share
- levofloxacin Δ 0.10 pts · 58,038 reports · Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic 13.61%death share
- nystatin Δ 0.15 pts · 26,244 reports · Polyene Antifungal 13.86%death share
- calcium carbonate Δ 0.17 pts · 64,404 reports · Calcium Supplement / Antacid 13.53%death share
Medication Guides
Understanding Drug Interactions
How CYP450 enzymes, inhibitors, and inducers affect your medications
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 torsemide
The FDA label for torsemide (sold under brand names such as Demadex) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Loop Diuretic class. Torsemide treats swelling from heart, kidney, or liver problems. Official labeling lists 1 commonly reported side effect, including Excessive urination.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 31,122 voluntary reports. The database also lists 11 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.07.
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).
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: June 30, 2023
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