American Heart Month: Heart Medication Guide

The American Heart Association has made February American Heart Month. Understanding more about the medication used to treat your heart related problems is essential. It is important with all heart medication you take it exactly as your doctor prescribes. Remembering to take it at the same time each day is crucial to your treatment.

I have listed the most common Medications used to treat heart disease, Heart attack and Cholesterol.

Plavix

Plavix is a very commonly prescribed medication used in the treatment of peripheral artery disease chest pain, heart attack and ischemic stroke. Your doctor may prescribe Plavix for other conditions as well.

According to the Plavix website PLAVIX is proven to help keep platelets from sticking together and forming blood clots. This helps blood flow more easily, helping to reduce the risk of a future heart attack or stroke.

Plavix is available in 75mg tablets.

Nitroglycerin

Nitroglycerin is used in treating coronary artery disease (CAD) and also for angina. Angina is heart related chest pain. Nitroglycerin is available in many forms including oral, IV and as a topical cream. Nitroglycerin is a vasodilator ,it works by letting more blood reach your heart by widening the blood vessels.

Common brand names for Nitroglycerin: Minitran, Nitro-Bid, Nitro-Dur, Transderm-Nitro, Deponit, Nitrol and Nitrostat

Toprol XL

Toprol XL is a beta blocker commonly used to treat high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and angina. Toprol XL is available in four different strengths: 25MG, 50MG, 100MG and 200MG.

Toprol XL is generally well tolerated by most people. Toprol XL is also used in treating children ages 6 and up that have high blood pressure.

The generic name for Toprol is Metoprolol

Lisinopril

Lisinopril is a ACE inhibitor used to treat high blood pressure in adults and children 6 years and up. Lisinopril may also be used to treat a heart attack. Once you start taking Lisinopril it can take anywhere from 2 - 4 weeks to start treating your high blood pressure. The most common side effects you may experience from taking Lisinopril are: having a dry cough, feeling dizzy, getting a bad headache and even feeling nauseous and sick to your stomach.

Cholesterol lowering medications may be prescribed to treat your high Cholesterol. Most of these drugs are known as Statins. Statin medication help to lower your bad cholesterol levels.

Zocor is a widely prescribed statin cholesterol medication. Zocor can be used in treating children with high cholesterol.

The generic name for Zocor is Simvastatin.

Crestor is another popular stain cholesterol medication. Crestor helps your body by brining down your total cholesterol. Crestor also helps lower your bad cholesterol in your blood.

Pravachol and Liptor are also statin drugs that may be used to treat your high cholesterol.

Sources

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=70

http://www.plavix.com/clopidogrel/blood-clots.aspx?TC=32271&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=decision&utm_term=plavix&utm_content=plavix_textad_bloodclots_text_tc32271

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-18030-Nitroglycerin+Oral.aspx?drugid=18030&drugname=Nitroglycerin+Oral

http://www.medicinenet.com/nitroglycerin/article.htm

http://www.rxlist.com/toprol-xl-drug.htm

http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-6040-Zocor+Oral.aspx?drugid=6040&drugname=Zocor+Oral

http://www.crestor.com/c/explore-crestor/how-crestor-works.aspx

http://www.walgreens.com/library/finddrug/druginfo.jsp?pdid=13282&particularDrug=Lipitor

http://www.walgreens.com/library/finddrug/druginfo.jsp?pdid=12093&particularDrug=Pravachol