Arrhythmia Medications

Hi everyone, with so many "newbies" lately I thought it might be of some help to repost some really informative articles I found.



Found in today's American Heart Association Newsletter:

When taken exactly as prescribed, medications can do wonders. They can help prevent heart attack and stroke. They can also prevent complications and slow the progression of coronary heart disease. Make sure that your doctor knows all the drugs you're taking, including over-the-counter drugs and natural supplements. Discussing all the drugs you take will help you prevent serious side effects and help the medications have their desired effects.

In this list of medications used to treat arrhythmias, we've included generic names as well as some major trade names. If your prescription isn't on this list, don't hesitate to ask you doctor or pharmacist about your medication.

Antiarrhythmic drugs

Symptomatic tachycardias and premature beats may be treated with a variety of antiarrhythmic drugs. These may be given intravenously in an emergency situation or orally for long-term treatment. These drugs either suppress the abnormal firing of pacemaker tissue or depress the transmission of impulses in tissues that either conduct too rapidly or participate in reentry. In patients with atrial fibrillation, a blood thinner (anticoagulant or antiplatelet agent such as aspirin) is usually added to reduce the risk of blood clots and stroke.
When tachycardias or premature beats occur often, the effectiveness of antiarrhythmic drug therapy may be gauged by electrocardiographic monitoring in a hospital, by using a 24-hour Holter monitor or by serial drug evaluation with electrophysiologic testing.

The relative simplicity of antiarrhythmic drug therapy must be balanced against two disadvantages. One is that the drugs must be taken daily and indefinitely. The other is the risk of side effects. While side effects are a risk of all medication, those associated with antiarrhythmic drugs can be very hard to manage. They include proarrhythmia, the more-frequent occurrence of preexisting arrhythmias or the appearance of new arrhythmias as bad as or worse than those being treated.

Antiarrhythmic drugs include:

Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone)
Bepridil Hydrochloride (Vascor)
Disopyramide (Norpace)
Dofetilide (Tikosyn)
Flecainide (Tambocor)
Ibutilide (Corvert)
Lidocaine (Xylocaine)
Procainamide (Procan, Procanbid)
Propafenone (Rythmol)
Propranolol (Inderal)
Quinidine (many trade names)
Sotalol (Betapace)
Tocainide (Tonocarid)

Calcium channel blockers

Calcium channel blockers, also known as "calcium antagonists," work by interrupting the movement of calcium into heart and blood vessel tissue. Besides being used to treat high blood pressure, they're also used to treat angina (chest pain) and/or some arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms).

Some commonly prescribed calcium channel blockers include:
Amlodipine (Norvasc, Lotrel)
Diltiazem (Cardizem, Cartia, Dilacor, Diltia, Tiazac)
Felodipine (Plendil)
Isradipine (Dynacirc)
Nicardipine (Cardene)
Nifedipine (Adalat, Procardia)
Nimodipine (Nimotop)
Nisoldipine (Sular)
Verapamil (Calan, Covera, Isoptin, Verelan)

Beta-blockers
Beta-blockers decrease the heart rate and cardiac output, which lowers blood pressure by blocking the effects of adrenalin. They're also used with therapy for cardiac arrhythmias and in treating angina pectoris.

Some commonly prescribed beta-blockers include:
Acebutolol (Sectral)
Atenolol (Tenormin)
Betaxolol (Kerlone)
Bisoprolol/hydrochlorothiazide (Zebeta, Ziac)
Carteolol (Cartrol)
Esmolol (Brevibloc)
Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol)
Nadolol (Corgard)
Penbutolol (Levatol)
Pindolol (Visken)
Propranolol (Inderal)
Timolol (Blocadren)


Anticoagulants
Anticoagulants (blood thinners) work by making it harder for the blood to clot, or coagulate. They aren't designed to dissolve existing blood clots. They prevent new clots from forming or existing clots from getting larger. Because a common type of stroke is caused by a blood clot obstructing blood flow to the brain, anticoagulants are often prescribed for people with certain conditions to prevent the occurrence of a first stroke or to prevent the recurrence if the patient has already had a stroke. Anticoagulants are also given to certain people at risk for forming blood clots, such as those with artificial heart valves or who have atrial fibrillation.

The most common anticoagulant drugs are heparin and warfarin. One trade name for warfarin is Coumadin.

Note: If you're taking any of the medications discussed here, don't stop taking them without consulting your doctor.

Hope someone finds this informative. I did.

Pookie


2 Comments

drugs

by thomast - 2010-02-07 04:02:16

You forgot the most common beta blocker prescribed which is COREG

Also should include ACE inhibitors which are used to lower blood pressure. These are acuprill quinaprill and all the drugs ending in prill

Thomas

My posting

by Pookie - 2010-02-07 07:02:57

It's an article I received from the American Heart Association.....I didn't write the article. :)

Pookie

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