Understanding the Different Types of Heart Medications

Killing more than 17.9 million people each year, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are considered the deadliest in the world, according to the World Health Organization. These group of disorders affect the heart and blood vessels, and they can affect people from all ages, races and economic status.

Cardiovascular diseases cover different types of heart conditions:

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease among Americans. Also called ischemic heart disease or coronary heart disease, CAD occurs when there is plaque buildup in the arterial walls that supplies blood to the heart.

Over time, the accumulation of plaque causes the blood vessels to narrow, which could result in a partial or total blockage of blood flow.

This is called atherosclerosis. CAD is considered the first sign of an impending heart attack, which means that it’s very important to assess this risk and treat it early with the right heart disease medications to prevent a debilitating or deadly attack.

Signs and symptoms

• Angina or chest pain is the most common symptom of CAD and it happens because of the increased plaque buildup within the arterial walls causing them to narrow.
• Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulders
• Light-headedness, weakness and nausea
• Shortness of breath

Risk factors

• Poor eating habits
• Physical inactivity and obesity
• Smoking and alcoholism
• Family history of heart disease

Medications

• This is a blood thinner that’s prescribed to allow blood to flow even in narrow blood vessels and prevent any clots that could cause further obstruction to the coronary arteries. Aspirin also helps to prevent any future heart attacks for those patients who already have a history of heart attack.
• Calcium channel blockers. Prescribed to address chest pain, these drugs can be used alone or in combination with beta blockers.
• Beta blockers. These drugs help reduce blood pressure levels and slows down the heart rate to reduce the chances of future attacks, especially for people with a history of heart attack.
• ACE inhibitors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are drugs that help prevent the progression of coronary artery disease and reduce blood pressure.

Arrhythmia

Any abnormality in heart rhythm is referred to as an arrhythmia. This means that your heart could beat too slow, too fast or at irregular intervals and it could result to more serious complications if not treated with the right heart medication right away. The types of arrhythmia include:

• Known as fast heart rhythm, this refers to a heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute.
• Known as slow heart rhythm, this refers to a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute.
• Ventricular arrhythmia. This is a type of arrhythmia that begins in ventricles or the lower chambers of the heart.
• Supraventricular arrhythmia. This is a type of arrhythmia that begins in the atria or the upper chambers of the heart.
• This is a slow heart rhythm that’s caused by a condition in the conduction system of the heart such as the atrioventricular (AV) node, sinoatrial (SA) node or the HIS-Purkinje network.

Signs and symptoms

• Palpitations or the feeling that your heart is fluttering or that you are skipping heartbeats.
• Pounding and discomfort in the chest area
• Light-headedness
• Fatigue or weakness
• Shortness of breath

Risk factors

• Age
• Family history and genetics
• Exposure to certain air pollutants
• Ethnicity
• Smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse
• History of surgery in the esophagus, heart or lungs

Medications

• This drug is prescribed primarily to treat bradycardia or slow heart rate.
• This drug works by slowing down the electrical signals that causes the heart to beat fast.
• Beta blockers. These drugs are prescribed for people with high blood pressure or tachycardia to prevent any further arrhythmias that could trigger more serious complications.
• This drug is prescribed for tachycardia or fast heart rate.
• Calcium channel blockers. These drugs help to slow down a fast heart rate, especially for arrhythmias that occur in the upper chambers of the heart.
• Potassium channel blockers. These drugs work by stretches the time it takes for the heart cells to recover after firing, which causes the heart rate to slow.

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is essentially the narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup. Also known as the hardening of the arteries, this heart condition occurs when there is too much buildup of plaque in the walls of the arteries, which is made up of cholesterol, fat, calcium and other substances in the blood.

Without proper heart medication, atherosclerosis could easily lead to stroke, a heart attack or even death. The different types of heart disease related to atherosclerosis include:

• Carotid artery disease where plaque buildup occurs in the carotid arteries located on each side of the neck.
• Coronary artery disease where plaque buildup occurs in the coronary arteries.
• Peripheral artery disease where plaque buildup occurs in the major arteries that supply blood to the extremities such as the arms, legs and pelvis.
• Chronic kidney disease where plaque buildup occurs in the renal arteries that supply blood to the kidneys.

Signs and symptoms

• Angina or chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue and confusion
• Pain in the arm leg or the part of the body where there is blockage
• Weakness in the muscles

Since atherosclerosis could lead to heart attack or stroke, it is also very important to know their different signs and symptoms including:

• Heart attack
• Pain in the neck, back, arms, shoulders and jaw
• Chest pain or discomfort
• Shortness of breath
• Perspiration
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Lightheadedness
• A feeling of impending doom
• Stroke
• Slurred speech or difficulty speaking
• Weakness or numbness in the face or extremities
• Loss of balance
• Vision problems
• Sudden, severe headache

Risk factors

• Obesity and lack of physical activity
• High LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels and low HDL or “good” cholesterol levels
• Blood pressure that stays above 140/90mmHg
• Diabetes or insulin resistance
• Smoking
• Age
• Unhealthy diet
• Family history of heart disease

Medications

• Blood thinners. These drugs are prescribed to reduce the risks of clotting in the narrowed arteries to prevent further blockage and allow blood to flow freely even in a smaller passage. Most doctors choose Aspirin as their preferred blood thinner.
• Statins and fibrates. These are types of medications that help lower bad cholesterol significantly to prevent further plaque buildup in the blood vessels.
• Beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. These drugs can be prescribed separately or together to help lower blood pressure levels.
• ACE inhibitors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are prescribed to prevent further narrowing of the arteries due to plaque buildup.
• These drugs are prescribed in some patients with water retention, which causes high blood pressure.

Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a type of heart disease that causes the heart muscle to weaken, making it harder to pump blood. There are two common types of cardiomyopathy:

• Dilated cardiomyopathy. This condition begins in the left ventricle, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart. Here, the ventricle usually dilates affecting its ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.

If not treated with heart medication right away, both ventricles could be affected increasing the risk for a heart attack or heart failure.

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This condition occurs when the heart muscles undergo hypertrophy or becomes thicker than usual. This causes difficulty for the heart to pump blood.

Although hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is not as serious as other heart conditions, some patients could still experience symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath, and it could cause arrhythmias or sudden death in a few cases.

Signs and symptoms

• Shortness of breath, whether you’re resting or during activity
• Bloating in the abdomen due to fluid buildup
• Swelling in the legs, ankles and feet
• Difficulty in lying flat when sleeping
• Fatigue and weakness
• Coughing when lying down
• Pounding, flattering or rapid heartbeats
• Lightheadedness
• Chest discomfort

Risk factors

• Family history of cardiac arrest, heart failure or cardiomyopathy
• Hypertension
• Obesity
• Alcoholism and use of illegal drugs
• Pre-existing heart conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart attack or infection of the heart
• Some chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy for cancer

Patients with diabetes, hemochromatosis, thyroid disease, sarcoidosis, amyloidosis and connective tissue disorders are also at a higher risk for developing cardiomyopathy.

Medications

• ACE inhibitors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are prescribed to improve blood flow and take off the heart’s workload by dilating the blood vessels. It also helps improve heart function and lowers blood pressure.
• Angiotensin II receptor blockers. ARBs are prescribed for people who can’t tolerate ACE inhibitors.
• This helps strengthen the contractions of the heart muscles while slowing down the heartbeat to reduce the symptoms of heart failure.
• Valsartan/Sacubitril. A combination of ARB and another type of medication, this drug is prescribed to support the heart’s ability to pump blood to the rest of the body.
• This drug is prescribed to help restore the heart’s normal rhythm.
• These drugs are prescribed to remove any excess salt and fluid from the body to decrease the workload of the heart and improve the function of the lungs.

Heart attack

In the United States alone, someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, according to the CDC. Every year, at least 805,000 Americans get a heart attack with 1 in 5 of those attacks causing significant damage to the heart without the person even knowing it. This makes heart attack one of the deadliest heart conditions in the world today.

Also called a myocardial infarction, a heart attack occurs when a part of the heart muscle isn’t getting enough blood supply. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the primary cause of a heart attack, but it can also be a result of different heart conditions that were not treated with the right heart disease medications.

Signs and symptoms

• Angina or chest pain. A heart attack usually begins with a discomfort in the middle or left side of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes and doesn’t go away with rest or medication. Some patients also feel squeezing or uncomfortable pressure in the chest area.
• Pain or discomfort in the neck, jaw or back
• Light-headedness, weakness or fainting
• Shortness of breath
• Pain or discomfort in one or more of the upper extremities

Risk factors

• Age and gender
• High blood pressure, especially with other pre-existing conditions
• Smoking or long-term exposure to secondhand smoke
• High bad cholesterol levels
• Family history of heart attacks
• Diabetes
• Metabolic syndrome
• Obesity and lack of physical activity
• Stress
• Autoimmune conditions
• A history of pre-eclampsia

Medications

• This is the first drug given to a patient going through a heart attack because it helps maintain blood flow to the heart and reduces the chances of blood clotting.
• Beta blockers. These drugs are prescribed to help reduce blood pressure, relax the heart muscle and slow down the heartbeat.
• This is used to treat chest pain and dilates the blood vessels to promote better blood flow.
• Also called clotbusters, these drugs are prescribed to help dissolve blood clots that are causing the blockage of blood flow to the heart. If given as early as possible, these heart disease medications prevent further damage to the heart and help patients increase their survival rates.
• Antiplatelet agents. These drugs are prescribed to help prevent the occurrence of new clots and keep any existing clots from increasing to stop any future heart attacks.
• ACE inhibitors. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are prescribed to reduce stress on the heart and lower blood pressure levels.

Cardiovascular disease medications don’t only help increase the survival rates for patients suffering from cardiovascular conditions, but they also allow these patients to live a normal life for a longer time.

Heights Family Pharmacy ensures that these drugs are always accessible to patients in the Dearborn Heights and Dearborn areas with free delivery for a minimum of two prescriptions. Get in touch with one of our specialists for advice on your heart disease drugs.