Enjoying Life While Managing Heart Failure
Common Medicines
Lower your heart’s workload and help it pump stronger. You may take more than one.
Several medications can help you feel better, live longer and stay out of the hospital. It is very important to take your medicine every day as prescribed, even if you feel better or if you are told your heart failure is improving.
To lower your heart’s workload and help it pump stronger, the following medicines are recommended in the guidelines and commonly prescribed, often in combination.
Your healthcare team may recommend you continue these medicines even if your heart is pumping better.
While there are many benefits to these medicines, make sure to ask about possible side effects and what to monitor more closely after starting these medicines. Also ask if these interact with your other medicines, including any supplements.
What Does the Medicine Do?
Helps your veins and arteries relax so your heart can pump blood more easily.
Examples of this Medicine Class
captopril, enalapril, fosinopril, lisinopril, quinapril, rampiril
What Does the Medicine Do?
Works very similar to ACE-Inhibitors.
Examples of this Medicine Class
candesartan, losartan, valsartan
What Does the Medicine Do?
Two medicines in one: an ARB and a medicine that blocks the production of neprilysin, an enzyme in the body. It lowers blood pressure and decreases the strain on the heart.
Examples of this Medicine Class
sacubitril-valsartan
What Does the Medicine Do?
Slows your heart rate and lowers your blood pressure by blocking the stress hormone adrenaline.
Examples of this Medicine Class
bisoprolol, carvedilol, meoptrolol
What Does the Medicine Do?
Lowers your blood sugar, also your risk for hospitalizations, whether you have diabetes or not.
Examples of this Medicine Class
dapagliflozin, empagliflozin
What Does the Medicine Do?
Blocks a hormone in your body called aldosterone, which helps the body to get rid of salt and water through urine. This lowers the volume of blood that the heart must pump.
Examples of this Medicine Class
eplerenone, spironolactone
What Does the Medicine Do?
These medicines work by helping your kidneys take water and salt out of the body by making more urine. This will help you breathe easier and have less swelling in your legs, feet and belly.
Examples of this Medicine Class
furosemide, bumetanide, torsemide, hydrochlorothiazide, metolazone
What Does the Medicine Do?
A combination of drugs that is used to help:
• African Americans who have heart failure
• People who cannot take ACE inhibitors, ARBs, or an ARNi
Examples of this Medicine Class
isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine
What Does the Medicine Do?
Helps lower your heart rate more if needed. This helps reduce the amount of oxygen your heart needs and the amount of work your heart has to do to pump blood through the body.
Examples of this Medicine Class
ivabridine
What Does the Medicine Do?
Slows down the heart and helps it pump stronger.
Examples of this Medicine Class
digoxin
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