Be careful: 4 drugs can make heart failure more serious

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump blood strongly enough to meet the body's needs. When heart failure occurs, blood may flow more slowly and pressure in the heart increases, making it impossible for the heart to provide enough oxygen and nutrients to the organs. This can cause fluid buildup in the lungs and body and symptoms such as difficulty breathing, swelling and fatigue. Heart failure can result from many different cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, valvular heart disease, and arrhythmias.

In other words, heart failure is the final stage of heart diseases. At this time, the patient's heart's pumping function declines, blood output can no longer meet the body's metabolic needs, and blood in organs and tissues cannot return to the heart smoothly.

According to Sohu , what is even more scary is that the death rate from heart failure is similar to cancer, about 20% of heart failure patients will die within 1 year after diagnosis and 50% will die within 5 years. years after diagnosis.

1. Symptoms of heart failure

Clinically, heart failure is divided into left heart failure, right heart failure and total heart failure based on the patient's different symptoms.

- Symptoms of left heart failure

Included main symptoms are shortness of breath, which increases after physical exercise, and rapid heart rate. In severe cases, the patient may not even be able to sleep at night and may be easily awakened, hypotensive, confused or agitated because of hypoxemia and poor cerebral perfusion.

When the disease progresses to the pulmonary edema stage, the patient will develop symptoms such as cough, sputum mixed with pink fluid, and physical weakness.

- Symptoms of right heart failure

The most typical main symptom of right heart failure is edema, which usually develops first in the lower extremities. Symptoms will be significantly worse after walking and may improve after rest.

In addition to edema, patients may experience other symptoms such as loss of appetite; You may have to urinate more often, especially at night; shortness of breath; swelling of the jugular veins; rapid pulse; chest pain; weight gain; cold and sweaty skin; Mental fatigue, confusion and forgetfulness.

- Complete heart failure

Global heart failure is a medical condition with acute or chronic cardiovascular symptoms. When experiencing acute heart failure, cardiovascular symptoms appear suddenly but then subside rapidly, often occurring in people who have had a heart attack and survived.

The condition resembles severe right heart failure with frequent shortness of breath. Enlarged liver, severe edema, distended jugular veins and multimembranous effusion. If symptoms such as cold limbs, cyanosis, confusion, or low blood pressure appear, it is likely that cardiogenic shock has occurred and you need to see a doctor promptly, as soon as possible.

2. Drugs that cause heart failure when used long-term

According to WebMD, there are certain medications and natural supplements that can cause or worsen heart failure because they:

+ Causes negative reactions to the heart.

+ Affects the contractility of the heart muscle.

+ Makes high blood pressure more serious.

+ Prevents the action of drugs to treat heart failure.

Heart failure patients are mainly elderly people, patients often suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and high blood fat. Symptoms of heart failure may be worse when drugs are used together. Shi Haoqiang, Deputy Director of the Department of Pharmacy at Shanghai Ruijin Hospital (China), noted that the following 4 drugs are not recommended for use in combination with anti-heart failure drugs if you do not want severe heart failure symptoms. More importantly, heart failure patients need to know:

- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) include ibuprofen, acetaminophen, indomethacin , and ketorolac. The combined use of these drugs in patients with heart failure can easily lead to increased cardiac load and systemic vascular resistance, which in turn may worsen heart failure.

These drugs also easily cause heart failure patients' bodies to retain more water and salt, making it harder for blood to circulate and making it harder for diuretics (often used to treat high blood pressure) to work. .

- Blood sugar lowering drugs

Your body eliminates metformin through your kidneys, so this is not a good choice if your kidneys are not working as they should.

According to WebMD , one study found that rosiglitazone was associated with a higher risk of heart failure than pioglitazone because the drug caused fluid retention and weight gain in people with heart failure and made people without the condition more susceptible.

The American Diabetes Association's standards of care also recommend that patients with symptomatic heart failure avoid taking thiazolidinediones.

- Antiarrhythmic drugs

Inotropic antiarrhythmics have the potential to aggravate heart failure, such as the class I antiarrhythmics disopyramide and flecainide.

In addition, the class III antiarrhythmic drug sotalol may also produce negative inotropic effects, causing bradycardia and leading to the onset or exacerbation of heart failure.

- Antihypertensive drugs

Calcium channel blockers can worsen edema or fluid buildup in the body's tissues. Central agonists (clonidine, moxonidine) cause changes in the way the body releases hormones that affect the heart and make heart failure worse.

In addition to the medications listed above, other medications that can cause heart failure include antifungals, cancer medications, antidepressants, and stimulants (also commonly called psychostimulants, including many drugs that increase the activity of the central nervous system and the body, drugs that create a feeling of ecstasy and increase vitality, or drugs that have an effect on the sympathetic nervous system), drugs that inhibit the TNF-factor α.

3. Note

When taking medication, heart failure patients need to talk to their doctor about their medical history as well as the medications they are using to avoid side effects when taking many medications at the same time. With over-the-counter medications that treat minor illnesses such as headaches or nasal congestion, people with heart failure also need to be cautious when using them and avoid certain groups of medications.

For example, over-the-counter NSAIDs like ibuprofen, which, like prescription medications, can make heart failure worse. Other medications have sodium or ingredients that may worsen your heart failure or conditions that come with it.

Decongestants often contain ingredients that help constrict blood vessels and can cause heart problems when used in excess over a long period of time.

As with natural supplements, they can also cause interactions with other medications. For example, more than 400 IU of vitamin E per day can put a person at increased risk of heart failure. That's why it's important not to take vitamins or supplements to prevent heart problems or improve heart failure symptoms; Avoid products containing ephedra extract because it can affect the patient's blood pressure and heart rate.

Avoid products that may interact with cardiovascular medications, such as digoxin and blood thinners.

Finally, talk to your doctor for a list of over-the-counter medications that are safe to take when you have heart failure, as well as get advice on what to look for when reading drug labels.