Some medicines for heart failure improve how well your heart pumps. Others help remove excess fluid from your body or dilate blood vessels so blood can flow more easily so your heart doesn't have to work as hard. A combination of medicines is often used to manage your condition and help you feel better.
Heart failure is an ongoing health condition. To stay as healthy as possible, you might need to take medicine for the rest of your life. It's important that you take your medicines as your doctor prescribed and not miss any doses. Make sure to have prescriptions for these medicines refilled before you run out.
Don't take any over-the-counter medicines until you talk to your doctor to see if they are safe. Don't use nonsteroidal pain relievers (such as ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, Aleve, and Nuprin), cold and flu remedies (especially those containing pseudoephedrine), and medicines that contain sodium, such as Alka-Seltzer.
Call your doctor right away if you have problems or side effects from your medicine. Do not stop taking your medicine without talking with your doctor or nurse.
The following medicines are frequently used to treat heart failure.
These medicines lower heart rate and blood pressure, and protect your heart from certain substances that can damage your heart. Beta blockers are often started at a very low dose and then are increased until a dose is reached that works best.
Common side effects of beta blockers:
Stopping beta blockers suddenly can cause your symptoms to get worse. Don't stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor or nurse.
Call your doctor if you feel faint, pass out, have increased shortness of breath or wheezing, or have other symptoms that bother you.
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors reduce the amount of heart-damaging hormones your body produces. They also dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure to lessen the workload of your heart.
Common side effects of ACE inhibitors:
You will have regular blood tests to check kidney function and potassium levels while taking this medicine.
Get medical help right away if you have swelling of your mouth, lips, or tongue. This could be an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.
Angiotensin receptor blockers are similar to ACE inhibitors, but they don't cause the cough that some people have when taking ACE inhibitors.
Common side effects of angiotensin receptor blockers:
You will have regular blood tests to check kidney function and potassium levels while taking this medicine.
Get medical help right away if you have swelling of your mouth, lips, or tongue. This could be an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.
Entresto is a medicine that combines the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) valsartan with a substance known as sacubitril that causes the heart to squeeze harder and can help your body eliminate excess fluid. The effect of this combination can be more powerful than either drug alone. Entresto is usually started after a person has been able to tolerate target doses of either an angiotension converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), so this is not usually the first medicine used to treat heart failure. It is currently only used if other medicines have not improved the heart’s ability to pump effectively. If you are taking an ACEI (such as lisinopril or enalapril) you will need to stop that medication for 36 hours before starting Entresto. This is very important; not doing so could result in a serious reaction.
Common side effects:
Get medical help right away if you have swelling of your mouth, lips, or tongue. This could be an allergic reaction that can be life-threatening.
Call your doctor if you have rapid weight loss soon after starting Entresto.
These medicines prevent your body from producing too much of the hormone aldosterone that can damage your heart.
Common side effects of aldosterone antagonists:
You will have regular blood tests to check kidney function and potassium levels while taking this medicine.
This medicine slows heart rate and might improve the pumping ability of your heart. You'll get a blood test to make sure the dose you're taking is right for you.
Common side effects of digoxin:
Call your doctor if you are nauseated, or notice a yellow tinge or "halos" in your vision.
Hydralazine and nitrates are often used together to treat heart failure. They dilate blood vessels so it's easier for your heart to receive and pump blood.
Common side effects of hydralazine and nitrates:
These medicines are called water pills because they remove excess fluid from the body to help you breathe easier and feel better.
If you take a diuretic once a day, take it in the morning. If you take it twice a day, try to take the second dose no later than 4 p.m. to lessen the urge of going to the bathroom during the night.
If you take metolazone plus another diuretic, take metolazone first, about 30 minutes before the other diuretic.
Diuretics (especially metolazone) can cause you to lose potassium, so your doctor might prescribe a potassium supplement. Not everyone taking diuretic medicine needs extra potassium, so ask your doctor if you have any questions.
If your diuretic dose is changed, you will need lab tests to monitor kidney function.
Common side effects of diuretics: