When you visit your doctor, he or she may prescribe you different medications to help relieve your symptoms, control your blood pressure and reduce your cholesterol. In the section below, we discuss the common medications that are used in treating patients with heart disease.
1. Blood thinners (Aspirin, Clopidogrel, Prasugrel, Ticagrelor)
As the name suggests, blood thinners are drugs that act on the way the blood clots and make it thinner. These drugs are extremely important in managing patients who have suffered a heart attack or who are experiencing chest pain. They also used in a number of different conditions such as stroke and irregular heartbeats (atrial fibrillation).
You can read more about these individual blood thinners here.
2. Beta blockers (Metoprolol, Atenolol, Nebivolol, Carvedilol, Bisoprolol)
Beta-blockers are drugs that block a specific receptor called the beta receptor. The beta receptor is located in blood vessels and in the heart muscle. Beta-blockers are useful in the management of angina, heart failure, heart attacks and high blood pressure.
Read more about beta-blockers here.
3. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (Ramipril, Lisinopril, Perindopril, Captopril)
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, also called ACE inhibitors, other kind of medication that can open up the blood vessels and improve the flow of blood to the heart. They are useful in treating heart failure and in managing high blood pressure.
You can read more about ACE inhibitors here.
4. Cholesterol lowering agents (Statins, Fibrates, Ezetimibe)
Cholesterol-lowering agents are drugs that bring down the cholesterol levels in the blood. By doing so, they can help prevent thickening of the blood vessels and the deposition of fat on the inner surface of blood vessels (a process called atherosclerosis). Atherosclerosis is well known to lead to heart disease.
You can read about cholesterol-lowering agents here.
5. Nitrates (Isosorbide mononitrate, Isosorbide dinitrate)
6. Angiotensin receptor blockers (Olmesartan, Candesartan, Telmisartan, Valsartan)
7. New drugs against angina (Nicorandil, Ranolazine)