Laboratory Values
Potassium: See WARNINGS.
Calcium
Single doses of DEMADEX increased the urinary excretion of calcium by normal subjects, but serum calcium levels were slightly increased in 4- to 6- week hypertension trials. In a long-term study of patients with congestive heart failure, the average 1-year change in serum calcium was a decrease of 0.10 mg/dL (0.02 mmol/L). Among 426 patients treated with DEMADEX for an average of 11 months, hypocalcemia was not reported as an adverse event.
Magnesium
Single doses of DEMADEX caused healthy volunteers to increase their urinary excretion of magnesium, but serum magnesium levels were slightly increased in 4- to 6-week hypertension trials. In long-term hypertension studies, the average 1-year change in serum magnesium was an increase of 0.03 mg/dL (0.01 mmol/L). Among 426 patients treated with DEMADEX for an average of 11 months, one case of hypomagnesemia (1.3 mg/dL [0.53 mmol/L]) was reported as an adverse event.
In a long-term clinical study of DEMADEX in patients with congestive heart failure, the estimated annual change in serum magnesium was an increase of 0.2 mg/dL (0.08 mmol/L), but these data are confounded by the fact that many of these patients received magnesium supplements. In a 4-week study in which magnesium supplementation was not given, the rate of occurrence of serum magnesium levels below 1.7 mg/dL (0.70 mmol/L) was 6% and 9% in the groups receiving 5 mg and 10 mg of DEMADEX, respectively.
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), Creatinine and Uric Acid
DEMADEX produces small dose-related increases in each of these laboratory values.
In hypertensive patients who received 10 mg of DEMADEX daily for 6 weeks, the
mean increase in blood urea nitrogen was 1.8 mg/dL (0.6 mmol/L), the mean increase
in serum creatinine was 0.05 mg/dL (4 mmol/L), and the mean increase in serum
uric acid was 1.2 mg/dL (70 mmol/L). Little further change occurred with long-term
treatment, and all changes reversed when treatment was discontinued.
Symptomatic gout has been reported in patients receiving DEMADEX, but its incidence has been similar to that seen in patients receiving placebo.
Glucose
Hypertensive patients who received 10 mg of daily DEMADEX experienced a mean increase in serum glucose concentration of 5.5 mg/dL (0.3 mmol/L) after 6 weeks of therapy, with a further increase of 1.8 mg/dL (0.1 mmol/L) during the subsequent year. In long-term studies in diabetics, mean fasting glucose values were not significantly changed from baseline. Cases of hyperglycemia have been reported but are uncommon.
Serum Lipids
In the controlled short-term hypertension studies in the United States, daily doses of 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg of DEMADEX were associated with increases in total plasma cholesterol of 4, 4, and 8 mg/dL (0.10 to 0.20 mmol/L), respectively. The changes subsided during chronic therapy.
In the same short-term hypertension studies, daily doses of 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg of DEMADEX were associated with mean increases in plasma triglycerides of 16, 13 and 71 mg/dL (0.15 to 0.80 mmol/L), respectively.
In long-term studies of 5 mg to 20 mg of DEMADEX daily, no clinically significant differences from baseline lipid values were observed after 1 year of therapy.
Other
In long-term studies in hypertensive patients, DEMADEX has been associated with small mean decreases in hemoglobin, hematocrit, and erythrocyte count and small mean increases in white blood cell count, platelet count, and serum alkaline phosphatase. Although statistically significant, all of these changes were medically inconsequential. No significant trends have been observed in any liver enzyme tests other than alkaline phosphatase.
Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis and Impairment of Fertility
No overall increase in tumor incidence was found when torsemide was given to
rats and mice throughout their lives at doses up to 9 mg/kg/day (rats) and 32
mg/kg/day (mice). On a body-weight basis, these doses are 27 to 96 times a human
dose of 20 mg; on a body-surface-area basis, they are 5 to 8 times this dose.
In the rat study, the high-dose female group demonstrated renal tubular injury,
interstitial inflammation, and a statistically significant increase in renal
adenomas and carcinomas. The tumor incidence in this group was, however, not
much higher than the incidence sometimes seen in historical controls. Similar
signs of chronic non-neoplastic renal injury have been reported in high-dose
animal studies of other diuretics such as furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide.
No mutagenic activity was detected in any of a variety of in vivo and
in vitro tests of torsemide and its major human metabolite. The tests
included the Ames test in bacteria (with and without metabolic activation),
tests for chromosome aberrations and sister-chromatid exchanges in human lymphocytes,
tests for various nuclear anomalies in cells found in hamster and murine bone
marrow, tests for unscheduled DNA synthesis in mice and rats, and others.
In doses up to 25 mg/kg/day (75 times a human dose of 20 mg on a body- weight basis; 13 times this dose on a body-surface-area basis), torsemide had no adverse effect on the reproductive performance of male or female rats.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Category B.
There was no fetotoxicity or teratogenicity in rats treated with up to 5 mg/kg/day
of torsemide (on a mg/kg basis, this is 15 times a human dose of 20 mg/day;
on a mg/m2 basis, the animal dose is 10 times the human dose), or
in rabbits, treated with 1.6 mg/kg/day (on a mg/kg basis, 5 times the human
dose of 20 mg/kg/day; on a mg/m2 basis, 1.7 times this dose). Fetal
and maternal toxicity (decrease in average body weight, increase in fetal resorption
and delayed fetal ossification) occurred in rabbits and rats given doses 4 (rabbits)
and 5 (rats) times larger. Adequate and well-controlled studies have not been
carried out in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always
predictive of human response, this drug should be used during pregnancy only
if clearly needed.
Labor and Delivery
The effect of DEMADEX on labor and delivery is unknown.
Nursing Mothers
It is not known whether DEMADEX is excreted in human milk. Because many drugs are excreted in human milk, caution should be exercised when DEMADEX is administered to a nursing woman.
Pediatric Use
Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.
Administration of another loop diuretic to severely premature infants with
edema due to patent ductus arteriosus and hyaline membrane disease has occasionally
been associated with renal calcifications, sometimes barely visible on X-ray
but sometimes in staghorn form, filling the renal pelves. Some of these calculi
have been dissolved, and hypercalciuria has been reported to have decreased,
when chlorothiazide has been coadministered along with the loop diuretic. In
other premature neonates with hyaline membrane disease, another loop diuretic
has been reported to increase the risk of persistent patent ductus arteriosus,
possibly through a prostaglandin-E- mediated process. The use of DEMADEX in
such patients has not been studied.
Geriatric Use
Of the total number of patients who received DEMADEX in United States clinical studies, 24% were 65 or older while about 4% were 75 or older. No specific age-related differences in effectiveness or safety were observed between younger patients and elderly patients.
Last updated on RxList: 5/28/2008