Medications

Medications are prescribed to improve the functioning of the heart, control symptoms, maximize heart function, maintain stamina, and help prevent future complications such as hypertension or endocarditis (an infection of the heart). Medications commonly prescribed to people with congenital heart defects include:

Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: What men need to know about their cholesterol Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control Congenital Heart Defects (American Heart Association): Descriptions of over 10 types of congenital heart defects Congenital Heart Defects (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute): The NHLBI provides succinct information about how the heart works; explains assorted defects; lists symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment Congenital Heart Information Network: C.H.I.N. is an international organization that provides reliable information, support services, and resources to families affected my congenital heart disease Adult Congenital Heart Association: The ACHA is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life and extend the lives of adults with congenital heart defects. Clinical Trials: Congenital Heart Disease: A service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health Email this page Print this section

• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors block the enzyme in the body that causes blood vessels to tighten. The net result is that the blood vessels relax, decreasing the resistance to blood flow or blood pressure. This reduces the workload on the heart.
• Antiarrhythmics alter the way in which electrical currents are transmitted through the heart muscle. The heart pumps most efficiently when it beats in a regular rhythm; antiarrhythmics are used to regulate the heart rhythm.
• Antibiotics are used to prevent endocarditis, a potentially fatal infection in the heart for people with congenital heart disease. Read more about endocarditis in the section on managing congenital heart disease.
• Anticoagulants, commonly referred to as blood thinners, reduce the blood's ability to form clots by either reducing proteins involved in coagulation or changing the way the clotting proteins work. Some congenital defects, especially those involving a heart valve, can increase the likelihood of an individual developing a blood clot; therefore these patients receive anticoagulants to manage this risk. All patients with a mechanical heart valve need to take anticoagulants as well.
• Beta-adrenergic blocking agents, or beta-blockers, slow the heartbeat, lower blood pressure, and decrease the squeezing strength of the heart muscles by reducing the affect of adrenaline on the heart. In effect, these drugs reduce the heart's demand for oxygen and decrease the heart's workload.
• Calcium channel blockers keep calcium from entering the heart muscle and blood vessels. This has the effect of slowing the heart rate, reducing the squeezing strength of the heart muscle, decreasing blood pressure, dilating coronary arteries, and helping normalize fast or irregular heartbeats.
• Digitalis, or its derivative, digoxin, is an inotropic agent that improves the squeezing strength of the heart and helps regulate the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. These medications are used to improve blood circulation and help reduce swelling of hands and ankles.
• Diuretics reduce the amount of water and salt in the body, thereby reducing swelling in the hands and ankles as well as the workload on the heart.
• Vasodilators act directly on the muscles of the blood vessels, causing them to relax. This reduces blood pressure and the workload on the heart.

More detailed information on dosages and contraindications for each of these types of drugs can be found on the National Institute of Health Medline website.