Having heart disease
requires that you live to avoid various unhealthy foods, for example fatty
foods and high in salt, and leave behind various bad habits - like smoking. But
apparently not only those two things that you must avoid. You must avoid some
medications to maintain your heart health. Because these drugs can interact
with your heart disease medication so that it may cause dangerous side effects.
What are they?
List of drugs that can interact with a prescription heart disease medication
Medication for heart
disease is prescribed by a doctor based on the condition and severity.
For example, Heparin is
used to prevent complications after a heart attack; high blood pressure
medications, such as ACE inhibitors, diuretics, Angiotensin II receptor
blockers (ARB), beta blockers, aldosterone, and inotropics; until aspirin and
statins reduce cholesterol.
Here is a list of drugs
that might cause dangerous side effects if taken with the heart disease
medication above - or those that are not listed.
1. NSAID pain reliever
NSAIDs are painkillers
commonly used to treat pain due to sprains / headaches / migraine / rheumatism,
also relieve fever.
The most commonly used
NSAIDs are aspirin and ibuprofen. These drugs are usually found at local
pharmacies and can be purchased without a doctor's prescription.
This drug is not
recommended for consumption along with heart disease drugs because it can
increase blood pressure and aggravate the work of the heart.
As a result, you can
increase your risk of heart attack or stroke when using NSAIDs for a long time
when you have active heart disease. NSAIDs also should not be used right before
or after heart bypass surgery (CABG).
It is recommended to take
alternative medicines such as paracetamol (Panadol 500 g) rather than
ibuprofen.
If your doctor prescribes
you aspirin as a medicine for your heart disease, make sure to consume it with
the right dose and do not stop / reduce the dose without the doctor's
knowledge.
2. Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are used
to treat complaints of swollen skin, itching, redness due to allergic
reactions; flu; aches; allergic asthma; red eye (allergic conjunctivitis);
autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus; recovery of organ
transplants; brain swelling, and much more.
High-dose corticosteroids
are not recommended for consumption along with heart disease drugs because they
can cause irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and increase blood pressure.
3. Decongestants
Decongestants are a type
of medicine commonly used to relieve coughs and flu.
However, in the
decongestant there may be a content of pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine,
ephedrine which has the side effect of increasing blood pressure and
palpitations for people with heart disease.
4. Medication for constipation (laxative)
Laxatives to treat
constipation can cause dehydration which can disrupt the body's electrolyte
balance. Electrolyte imbalances can cause heartbeat to become irregular.
5. Antidepressant medication
Tricyclic antidepressant
drug interactions with heart disease drugs such as epinephrine (Epi-Pen) and
cimetidine (Tagamet) can increase blood pressure and disrupt heart rhythms.
For people with heart
disease it is recommended to consult a doctor before taking drugs to cure other
diseases, and use the drug in the right dose.
Make it a habit to read
the content label on the drug before consumption, and for people with the
disease can also make a list of drugs that should be avoided so as not to aggravate
your heart condition.
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