Medicines for Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
Medicines have made it easier to take care of coronary artery disease (CAD). The medicines
help many people stay healthy and prevent heart attacks. They include beta-blockers,
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and statins. Learn more about these
and other medicines below.
Aspirin
Aspirin is the most common medicine prescribed by healthcare providers for people
who have had a heart attack or stroke. Aspirin helps prevent future heart attacks
or strokes. Taking aspirin once a day helps make platelets less sticky. When platelets
stick together to form a plug, they cause blockages in the arteries. This lessens
blood flow to the heart. This causes heart attacks. There are two doses of aspirin:
81 mg (baby aspirin) and 324 mg (adult). Take this medicine as directed by your healthcare
provider.
Beta-blockers
Beta-blockers are a common type of medicine for controlling high blood pressure. They
slow the heart rate, lower blood pressure, and lessen the amount of work the heart
needs to do. When the heart works better, it needs less oxygen from your blood. By
lowering the heart's oxygen needs, beta-blockers may help prevent or relieve poor
blood flow. This is an important factor in heart attacks.
Beta-blockers can cause side effects. These can include fatigue and sexual problems
in some people. People with asthma or diabetes should be careful about taking them.
This is because they can make these conditions worse. Some beta-blockers are less
likely to cause these side effects. Tell your healthcare provider if you have a history
of asthma or any kind of lung disease before starting this medicine.
Calcium channel blockers
Calcium channel blockers may be used if beta-blockers give you bad side effects or
don't prevent chest pain (angina). These medicines relax the pumping chamber of the
heart. They also relax the arteries. This causes better blood flow. Calcium channel
blockers should not be taken if you have a low pumping function of the heart (reduced
ejection fraction). This can cause heart failure. Side effects include fluid buildup,
swelling (edema), and low blood pressure.
ACE inhibitors
ACE inhibitors are used to lower blood pressure. They make it easier for the heart
to pump blood. These medicines work by reducing the levels of a hormone called angiotensin
II. This hormone can increase blood pressure and make the heart work harder. ACE inhibitors
can be useful if the heart muscle has damage. This medicine helps change the way your
hearts works if you have heart failure.
The most common side effect is a dry, hacking cough. Changing the dose or changing
to a different medicine often helps the cough go away. Other side effects include
low blood pressure and kidney problems. If you have side effects from this medicine,
tell your healthcare provider right away.
Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)
ARBs are also used to reduce the workload on the heart. This type of medicine is related
to ACE inhibitors. They are used when ACE inhibitors cause a cough, or other side
effects. Blocking the receptor for angiotensin II prevents the blood vessels from
narrowing and causing the blood pressure to rise. Keeping the blood pressure from
rising reduces the work of the heart muscle. This prevents angina or a heart attack.
This type of medicine is also useful in people who have a damaged heart muscle from
a heart attack. It can help prevent heart failure.
Statins
Statins are the most common type of medicines to lower cholesterol. They block a liver
enzyme that makes cholesterol. This helps reduce the amount of cholesterol that can
be sent into the blood. This allows more LDL "bad" cholesterol to be removed from
the blood. Statins have other benefits, too. Studies have shown that people who use
statins, even if their cholesterol level is fine, have a reduced risk for heart attack,
stroke, chest pain, and death from a heart condition.
Statins have a few side effects. In rare cases, they can damage the liver and muscles.
It's important to take only recommended doses. Statins can also make people drowsy,
constipated, or nauseated. These side effects are not common. They are taken as a
single daily dose. Statins are one of the most effective medicines to prevent and
treat heart disease.
Nitrates
Nitrates or nitroglycerin is used to prevent or treat chest pain caused by CAD. When
you exercise, this can increase the workload on the heart muscle. Narrowed or blocked
arteries prevent the heart muscle from getting the oxygen and blood that it needs
during exercise. Nitrates relax the coronary arteries. They also relax other arteries
and veins. This improves blood flow. It reduces the workload on the heart. These medicines
can be taken as a pill, an under-the-tongue tablet, or spray. Or they may be absorbed
through a patch on the skin. Some of the side effects include a headache, dizziness,
light-headedness, flushing, or a drop in blood pressure. You should not take nitrates
if any of these apply to you:
-
You have had a heart attack that affects the right pumping chamber (ventricle)
-
You have a thickened left ventricle with blocked blood flow to the body (hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy)
-
You use medicines for erectile dysfunction
Talk with your healthcare provider if you have questions about any of these medicines.