Heart disease is common in many American households. February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is scary. Protect yourself and your family. I am going to provide you with the top five best selling heart medications! Be healthy, exercise regularly, and eat good foods to keep your cholesterol levels low, and your heart pumping well! These medications have helped people like you live and long and healthy life.
1. Lisinopril –the brand names are Prinivil, and Zestril
a. Available in 5 mg, 10 mg, and 20 mg.
b. Side effects: Decreased sexual ability, rash, runny nose, headache, excessive tiredness, upset stomach, diarrhea, sneezing, cough, weakness
c. Some side effects could be real serious. The following symptoms are uncommon but if you are experience them you should call your doctor immediately: Swollen face, throat, lips, tongue, eyes, hands, difficulty breathing, chills, sore throat, yellowing of the eyes, light headed, fainting, chest pain, different signs of infection, ankles and your lower legs.
2. Atenodol – the brand name is Tenormin.
a. Available in 25 mg, 50 mg.
b. Side effects: Dizziness, lightheadedness, diarrhea, depression, upset stomach, and drowsiness.
c. Some side effects could be real serious. The following symptoms are uncommon but if you are experience them you should call your doctor immediately: Unusual weight gain, fainting, shortness of breath, swelling of hands, ankles, feet and lower legs.
3. Warfarin – the brand name is Coumadin (#15 best selling drug in 2004).
a. Available in 7.5 mg.
b. Side effects: Headache, diarrhea, upset stomach, fever, and skin rash.
c. Some side effects could be real serious. The following symptoms are uncommon but if you are experience them you should call your doctor immediately: Chills, unexplained fever, sore throat, tiredness, bloody stools, blood in urine, black stools, unusual bruising.
d. **If you don’t take enough Warfarin, you could get a blood clot, and get a stroke. If you receive too much Warfarin the effects could be deadly (internal bleeding in the stomach, brain of hemorrhage).
4. Lovestatin – the brand name is Mevacor.
a. Available in mg.
b. Side effects: Constipation.
c. Some side effects could be real serious. The following symptoms are uncommon but if you are experience them you should call your doctor immediately: Muscle pain, lack of energy, yellowing of the skin and eyes, fever, tenderness, or weakness of the muscles
5. Triamterin/Hydrochlorothiazide – brand name is Dyazide.
a. Available in mg.
b. Side effects: None.
c. There are no serious side effects where you would need to see your doctor.
d. **This is a good medication, and you can take it daily.
Sources:
Heart Circulation System, http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/heart-drugs.htm Heart Drugs Heart Medication Summary
“Lifestyle Changes to Manage Your Heartburn”WebMD
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/536343
Criteria Committee, New York Heart Association. Diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Nomenclature and criteria for diagnosis, 6th ed. Boston: Little, Brown and co, 1964;114.
Raphael C, Briscoe C, Davies J, et al (2007). “Limitations of the New York Heart Association functional classification system and self-reported walking distances in chronic heart failure”. Heart93
