Heart Medications to Treat Heart Diseases

1. Antihypertensive medications: High Blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack, stroke, kidney dysfunction.
2. Antiarrhythmic medications: Irregular heart rhythms.
3. Cholesterol Lowering or Lipid Lowering medications: Hyperlipidemias (high cholesterol level)
4. Blood Thinners or Anticoagulants medications: Remove clots
5. Digitalis: Heart Rate Control medications
6. Vasodilator medications: Lower blood pressure, heart failure and (chest pain)

Antihypertensive Or High Blood Pressure Lowring Medications

Antihypertensive medications are used to reduce pressure of blood on walls of blood vessels in heart.

Blood, purified by liver and kidneys, reaches to heart. Heart pumps blood to provide supply to entire body. Pressure put by blood on walls of vessels is measured as blood pressure. More pressure on blood vessels by blood causes heart to pump hard. This increases work load on heart. Hypertension leads to many life-threatening health conditions such as heart attack, heart failure, strokes and CKD (Chronic kidney disease) i.e dysfunction of kidneys.

Types of Heart Medications to Treat Hypertension

Different medications, based on different mechanism, are available to lower or control blood pressure. More than 40 blood pressure lowering medications are there with total six classes.

Blood pressure lowering drug classes

ACE Inhibitors : ACE inhibitors medications work by slowing action of enzyme called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). This enzyme forms angiotensin 2 with the help of angiotensin 1. Angiotensin 2 narrows blood vessels and thereby high blood pressure.

ACE inhibitor medications

1. Lotensin
2. Norvasc
3. Capoten
4. Vasotec
5. Monopril
6. Prinivil
7. Univasc
8. Accupril
9. Altec
10. Mavik
11. Lotrel

Alpha Blockers : Alpha blocker medications block or slow activity of norepinephrine (noradrenaline). The hormone tightens blood vessels and arteries causing high blood pressure. Alpha blockers relax muscles by blocking action of norepinephrine.

Alpha Blocker Medications

1. Cardura
2. Dibenzyline
3. Minipress
4. Hytrin
5. Flomax
6. Uroxatral

Alpha blockers are also used to treat enlarged prostate and BPH (also known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia)]

Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers : medications of this class blocks activation of angiotensin 2 by sticking receptors of angiotensin 2. Since angiotensin 2 does not get activated it can not perform its act of narrowing blood vessels. This leads to lower blood pressure.

Angiotensin II receptor blocker are also used to treat heart failure, and preventing kidney failure in people with diabetes or high blood pressure.

medications of this class

1. Atacand
2. Avapro
3. Cozaar
4. Benicar
5. Micardis
6. Diovan
7. Avalide
8. Hyzaar.

Diuretic as Heart Medications

Diuretic medications decrease sodium and water level by removing excreted sodium through urine. medications of this class are known as \'water pills\' also. Fluid in blood vessels reduces blood pressure.

Diuretic medications are also used to treat Heart failure, Renal insufficiency (kidney not functioning properly), Liver disease, Glaucoma, diabetes insipidus and Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) in women.

Diuretic medications

1. Midamor
2. Bumex
3. Thalitone
4. Diuril
5. Lasix
6. Hydrodiuril
7. Lozol
8. Zaroxolyn
9. Aldactone
10. Demadex
11. Dyrenium

Renin Blockers or Direct Renin: Renin blockers or inhibitors block action of enzyme called renin. Renin is responsible to regulate blood pressure.

Renin blockers or direct renin is used only to lower blood pressure.

Renin Blocker drug: Tekturna.

Antiarrhythmic (Irregular Heart Rhythms) Heart Medications

Antiarrhythmic medications help maintain normal heart rhytham (beats). Beating of heart is caused by different electric signal generated by electric ions such as sodium and potassium. Heart rhythm becomes abnormal when natural balance of these ions is disturbed. Depending upon which ion channel is cause of abnormality respective channel blocker drug is prescribed. Antiarrhythmic medications alter electric signal to maintain heart rhythm normal.

Sodium channel blockers

Sodium channel blockers works on fast sodium channel to alter conduction of sodium ion. Thus, it prevents depolarization (increased level of positive sodium ions).

medications of this class are.....

Disopyramide (Norpace)
Lidocaine (Xylocaine)
Flecainide (TambocorTM) 
Moricizine (Ethmozine) 
Mexiletine (Mexitel)
Propafenone (Rythmol)
Procainamide (Procan, Procanabid, Pronestyl) 
Tocainide (Tonocard)
Quinidine (Cardioquin, Quinaglute Dura-Tabs, Quinidex Extentabs, Quinora)

Class II — Beta blockers

Beta blocker works by inhibiting (slowing) stimulation of either beta1 or beta2 or beta3 receptors. These receptors decide heart rhythm in many different mechanism. Slowed stimulation of these receptors help moderate heart rhythm.

Beta blocker medications are........

1. Acebutolol (Sectral)
2. Atenolol (Tenormin)
3. Betaxolol (Kerlone)
4. Bisoprolol (Zebeta)
5. Carvedilol (Coreg)
6. Esmolol (Brevibloc)
7. Metoprolol (Toprol-XL, Lopressor)
8. Nadolol (Corgard)
9. Propranolol (Inderal)
10. Sotalol (Betapace, Betapace AF, Sorine)
11. Timolol (Blocadren)

Class III — Potassium channel blockers

Potassium channel blocker prevents repolarization (i.e. increased level of negative ions). Repolarization starts when depolarization reaches to threshold. Repolarization starts by opening fast sodium channels and slowing calcium channels.

Potassium channel blocker drugs are....

1. Amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone)
2. Azimilide (StedicorTM)
3. Bepridil (Vascor)
4. Dofetilide (Tikosyn)
5. Ibutilide (Corvert)
6. Tedisamil (Pulsium)

Class IV — Calcium channel blockers

Calcium causes contraction of heart muscles and increases heart rate. Drugs of this class decreases presence of calcium ions which leads to relaxation of heart muscles and decrease in heart rate.

Calcium channel blockers are.....

1. Diltiazem (Cardizem, Tiazac, Cartia XT, Dilacor XR, Diltia XT)
2. Verapamil (Calan, Covera-HS, Isoptin SR, Verelan)

Other drugs used to treat abnormal heart rhythm are....

1. Adenosine (Adenocard, Adenoscan)
2. Digoxin (Lanoxin, Digitek)

Lipid Lowering Drugs

Lipid lowering drugs are used to lower high cholesterol level (Hyperlipidaemia). Usage of lipid lowering drugs is last option when other means such as diet and exercise fails to lower cholesterol level. Different drugs control cholesterol level in different ways. Lipid lowering drugs are prescribed as per lipid profile.

Statins lipid lowering drugs

Statins are most effective lipid lowering medicines. Statins breaks process that makes cholesterol in bosy. Statins works on all lipids, it decreases bad-cholesterol, increases good-cholesterol. Statin drugs also help to absorb available cholesterol.

Statin drugs are.....

1. Lipitor
2. Baycol
3. Questran
4. Vytorin
5. Lescol
6. Mevacor
7. Mevalotin
8. Pravachol
9. Crestor
10. Zocor

Absorption Inhibitors as Heart Medications

Absorption inhibitors slow the process of absorption of LDL in small intestine. Decreased absorption leads to more LDL-receptors activation. Drugs of this class lowers lipid by 15% to 17%.

(Ezetimibe) Zetia

Ezetimibe is given with statin drugs to for more powerful effect.

Fibric Acids

Fibric acids or fibrates breaks the process that forms triglycerides. Triglycerides are essential to form cholesterol; reduced tryglycerides reduces formation of cholesterol. Fibrates lower LDL by 5% to 20% and raise HDL by 10% to 20%.

1. Fenofibrate (e.g. TriCor)
2. Ciprofibrate (e.g. Modalim)
3. Clofibrate
4. Bezafibrate (e.g. Bezalip)
5. Gemfibrozil (e.g. Lopid)

Other lipid lowring drugs are...

• Colestid
• Niaspan

Anticoagulant (Bloos Thiner) Heart Medications

Anticoagulant drugs are used to reduce clots formation in blood vessels.

Blood clots are formed, by body system, at the site of would, injuries or anywhere where blood leakage occurs. Blood clotting is an essential healing process. Same process poses danger when it form clots of blood in heart capillaries. Blood clots resist smooth blood flow which leads to major heart problems.

Anticoagulant drugs are......

1. Warfarin (Coumadin)
2. Clopidogrel (Plavix)
3. Aspirin (Bayer)
4. Heparin (Calciparine)
5. Aprotinin (Trasylol)
6. Enoxaparin (Lovenox)

Digitalis (Heart Rate Control Medications)

Digitalis drugs are used to strengthen heart muscles and control heart rate. Digitalis is natural substance. It is extract of foxglove plant.

Digitalis drugs are.....

1. Digoxin (Lanoxin, Digitran)
2. Digitoxin (Crystodigin, Tardigal, Unidigin)

 

Vasodilator Heart Medications

Vasodilator drugs are used in treatment of hypertension, heart failure and angina (chest pain).

Vasodilator drug helps to relax and widen muscles of blood vessels. Widened of blood arteries reduce blood pressure.

Vasolidator drugs are....

1. Hydralazine (Apresoline)
2. Isosorbide dinitrate (Isordil)
3. Isosorbide mononitrate (Imdur, Ismo)
4. Nitroglycerin (Nitrobid, Nitrostat and NitroQuick)