Medicines for Heart Failure: What are they and What they do?

Studies have found that certain types of medicines are better suited to treating heart failure.

Patients with heart disease may require multiple medicines for heart failure. Each one of these treats a particular symptom or factor and works with its own instructions and rules.

You and your caregivers should consult with a health care provider to understand the medicines for heart failure and when, how much and in what dose to take.

It is important to discuss all medications you take with your doctor or other health care providers. You should try to understand the intended benefits and potential side effects of medicines for heart failure. Your doctor and pharmacist are the perfect sources of information for you. Don’t hesitate to ask questions about your medicines for heart failure.

Patients with heart failure must take their medications exactly as prescribed by their healthcare provider to maximize their benefits. The use of these medications has saved lives, extended life, and improved the heart’s function.

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure is a common disease that affects the capacity of the heart to pump blood.

In certain cases, there is not enough blood filled in the heart. This is called diastolic or right-sided heart failure. In other cases, the heart cannot pump enough blood to the rest of the body. This is called systolic or left-sided heart failure. Some people have both of these.

Having heart failure doesn’t mean that the heart has failed. It just means that it doesn’t function as well as it should. So this is a serious disorder that may need urgent medical care.

Here is the list of medicines for heart failure: What are they, and what they do?

1. Beta-blockers

Some hormones, such as adrenaline, norepinephrine, and other related hormones, function on the beta receptor in different body tissues. Hence, they have a stimulating effect. So, these hormones on the heart’s beta receptors cause a greater contraction of the heart muscle. Although beta-blockers are compounds that block the action of these stimulating hormones on body tissue beta receptors. Since scientists believed that blocking beta receptors further depressed the heart’s activity, doctors didn’t use beta-blockers in heart failure individuals. However, in heart failure, these hormones’ calming effect is initially helpful in maintaining heart activity. But they tend to have adverse effects on the heart muscle over time.

However, studies have shown an impressive clinical benefit of this medicine for heart failure. Also, it seems that the secret to success with the use of beta-blockers in heart failure is to begin at a low dosage and increase the dose very slowly. Patients may also feel a little worse at first, and other drugs may need to be adjusted.

Commonly prescribed shall include:

• Bisoprolol (Zebeta)
• Metoprolol succinate (Toprol XL)
• Carvedilol (Coreg)
• Carvedilol CR (Coreg CR)Toprol XL

2. ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme)

Scientists studied this class of medicines for heart failure in the treatment of heart disease. These medicines for heart failure block the formation of angiotensin II. It is a hormone with multiple potentially adverse effects on patients’ heart and circulation. In several studies with thousands of people, these medicines for heart failure have shown remarkable improvement in patients’ symptoms, prevention of clinical deterioration, and prolongation of survival. Also, scientists recently showed that it could prevent the development of heart failure and heart attacks. The wealth of data to support these agents’ use in heart failure is so high that doctors can use ACE inhibitors in all patients with heart failure, including those with heart muscle weakness.

Commonly prescribed shall include:

• Captopril (Capoten)
• Enalapril (Vasotec)
• Fosinopril (Monopril)
• Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
• Perindopril (Aceon)
• Quinapril (Accupril)
• Ramipril (Altace)
• Trandolapril (Mavik)

3. Diuretics

Diuretics are also an important part of treating heart failure to avoid or alleviate symptoms of fluid retention. Because these medicines for heart failure help keep fluids from building up in the lungs and other tissues by promoting fluid flow through the kidneys. They effectively mitigate symptoms such as shortness of breath and swelling of the leg. But they have not been proven to impact long-term survival significantly.

However, diuretics remain key to preventing the worsening of the patient’s health, requiring hospitalization. You can also use diuretics intravenously when hospitalization is necessary.

Commonly prescribed shall include:

• Furosemide (Lasix)
• Bumetanide (Bumex)
• Torsemide (Demadex)
• Chlorothiazide (Diuril)
• Amiloride (Midamor Chlorthalidone (Hygroton)
• Hydrochlorothiazide or HCTZ (Esidrix, Hydrodiuril)
• Indapamide (Lozol)
• Metolazone (Zaroxolyn)
• Triamterene (Dyrenium)

4. Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs)

Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs) work in the same way as ACE inhibitors by calming blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.

These medicines for heart failure tend to be used as an alternative to ACE inhibitors since they usually do not cause cough. They might not, though, be as powerful as ACE inhibitors.

Side effects of ARBs can include low blood pressure and high potassium levels in your blood.

Your doctor will perform regular blood tests to check your potassium level.

Commonly prescribed shall include:

• Candesartan (Atacand)
• Losartan (Cozaar)
• Valsartan (Diovan)

5. Digoxin (Lanoxin)

Digoxin improves heart contractions’ strength and effectiveness and effectively treats heart failure and heart rate control and rhythm. It comes from the leaves of a plant called the Digitalis Lanata plant. Digoxin increases the heart muscle contraction’s intensity by inhibiting the function of the enzyme (ATPase). This controls the movement of calcium, sodium, and potassium into the heart muscle. Calcium controls the contraction force. Inhibiting ATPase increases the calcium in the heart muscle and thus increases the strength of the heart contractions.

Digoxin also slows electrical conduction between the atria and the heart’s ventricles. It effectively treats abnormally rapid atrial rhythms such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and atrial tachycardia. During rapid atrial rhythms, electrical signals from the atria trigger rapid contractions of the ventricles. Because these rapid ventricular contractions are ineffective in pumping oxygen-containing blood and nutrients through the body. Hence causing signs of fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, and chest pain. Hence, these medicines for heart failure help relieve these symptoms by suppressing electrical conduction between the atria and the ventricles, thereby slowing down ventricular contractions.

The Bottom Line

There are also other options used to treat heart failure. So, speak to the doctor if you have any side effects or other issues with the current treatment. It may be possible to switch to another medicine for heart failure to get better outcomes. Remember, medicines are part of a comprehensive recovery plan that also includes lifestyle habits.

Researchers continue to discover new ways to treat heart failure. Several pharmaceutical companies have new ways of working on drugs in development. Speak to the doctor if you need information on clinical trials. Your doctor will be able to help you decide if it is right for you.