Cardiology Drug List Flashcards
Apixaban
Anticoagulant
Heparin
Anticoagulant
Warfarin (Coumadin)
Anticoagulant
What do anticoagulants do?
Decreases the clotting ability of the blood. Sometimes called blood thinners, although they do
not actually thin the blood. They do NOT dissolve existing blood clots.
Why should you prescribe anticoagulants?
- Helps to prevent harmful clots from forming in the blood vessels.
- May prevent the clots from becoming larger and causing more serious problems.
- Often prescribed to prevent first or recurrent stroke.
Aspirin
Antiplatelet agent
Clopidogrel
Antiplatelet agent
What do antiplatelets do?
Keeps blood clots from forming by preventing aggregation of blood platelets.
Why should you prescribe antiplatelets?
-Helps prevent clotting in patients who have had a heart attack, unstable angina,
ischemic strokes, TIA and other forms of cardiovascular disease.
-Usually prescribed preventively when plaque buildup is evident but there is not yet a
large obstruction in the artery.
Lisinopril and other “-pril”
Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
What do ACE inhibitors do?
Expands blood vessels and decreases resistance by lowering levels of angiotensin II. Allows
blood to flow more easily and reduces load on the heart, increasing efficiency.
Why should you prescribe an ACE inhibitor?
Used to treat or improve symptoms of cardiovascular conditions including high blood
pressure and heart failure.
Losartan
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (or inhibitors) aka ARBs aka Angiotensin-2 Receptor Antagonists
Valsartan
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (or inhibitors) aka ARBs aka Angiotensin-2 Receptor Antagonists
What do Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers do?
Rather than lowering levels of angiotensin II (as ACE inhibitors do) angiotensin II receptor
blockers prevent this chemical from having any effects on the heart and blood vessels. This
keeps blood pressure from rising.
Why should you prescribe an Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker?
Used to treat or improve symptoms of cardiovascular conditions including high blood
pressure and heart failure.
What are Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs)?
ARNIs are a new drug combination of a neprilysin inhibitor and an ARB.
What do Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs) do?
Neprilysin is an enzyme that breaks down natural substances in the body that open narrowed
arteries. By limiting the effect of neprilysin, it increases the effects of these substances and
improves artery opening and blood flow, reduces sodium (salt) retention, and decreases strain
on the heart.
*Tx for heart failure
Metoprolol
Beta Blocker
What do beta blockers do?
Decreases the heart rate and cardiac output, which lowers blood pressure and makes the heart
beat more slowly and with less force.
Why should you prescribe beta blockers?
• Used to lower blood pressure.
• Used with therapy for cardiac arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms) and in treating
chest pain (angina).
• Used to prevent future heart attacks in patients who have had a heart attack.
carvedilol
combined alpha and beta blocker
Why prescribe a combo alpha and beta blocker? What is a known side effect?
Combined alpha and beta-blockers are used as an IV drip for those patients experiencing a
hypertensive crisis. They may be prescribed for outpatient high blood pressure use if the patient
is at risk for heart failure.
A noted possible side effect of combined alpha and beta-blockers:
• May cause orthostatic hypotension
amlodipine
calcium channel blocker
diltiazem
calcium channel blocker
verapamil
calcium channel blocker
What do calcium channel blockers do?
Interrupts the movement of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels. May decrease
the heart’s ejection strength and relax blood vessels.
Why prescribe calcium channel blockers?
• Used to treat high blood pressure, angina, and some arrhythmias.
Atorvastatin (Lipitor), Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
Statins (cholesterol lowering drugs)
What do statins do?
*lower LDL cholesterol. Various medications can lower blood cholesterol levels. The most common cholesterol-lowering
drugs are called statins. They work by disrupting production of cholesterol, blocking an enzyme
inside the liver cells. This results in less cholesterol being released into the bloodstream.
Some statins also reduce the inflammatory process in the vessel wall. When the body has a
reduced reaction to the invading cholesterol, fewer macrophages travel into the artery wall to
form foam cells and plaque. When plaque stops growing inside an artery, the fibrous outer
coating remains strong and is less likely to rupture. This is called a stable plaque.
Drugs other than statins should only be used for patients in whom statins are not effective
enough or who have serious side effects due to statin therapy. They have a different mechanism
of action. Some affect the liver, some work in the intestines and some interrupt the formation of
cholesterol from circulating in the blood.
Digoxin and digitoxin
digitalis preparations
What do digitalis preparations do?
Increases the force of the heart’s contractions, which can be beneficial in heart failure and for
certain arrhythmias.
Why prescribe a digitalis preparation?
Used to relieve heart failure symptoms, especially when the patient isn’t responding to
ACE inhibitors and diuretics.
chlorthalidone
diuretic
hydro-chlorothiazide
diuretic
spironolactone
diuretic
What do diuretics do?
Reduces excess fluids and sodium through urination and reduces cardiac workload. Also
decreases the pulmonary fluid retention and peripheral edema. Different diuretics remove fluid
at varied rates and through different methods.
Why prescribe diuretics?
- Used to help lower blood pressure.
- Used to help reduce edema.
isosorbide dinitrate
vasodilator
nitrates
vasodilator
What do vasodilators do?
Relaxes blood vessels and increases the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing
its workload.
Why prescribe a vasodilator?
used to reduce angina
Info about antiarrhythmic drugs
Symptomatic tachycardias and premature beats may be treated with a variety of antiarrhythmic
drugs. These may be given intravenously in an emergency situation or orally for long-term
treatment. These drugs either suppress the abnormal firing of pacemaker tissue or depress the
transmission of impulses in tissues that either conduct too rapidly or participate in reentry.
In patients with atrial fibrillation, an anticoagulant or antiplatelet agent such as aspirin, is added
as indicated to reduce the risk of blood clots and stroke.
When tachycardias or premature beats occur often, the effectiveness of antiarrhythmic drug
therapy may be gauged by electrocardiographic monitoring in a hospital, by using a 24-hour
monitoring or by serial drug evaluation with electrophysiologic testing.
The relative simplicity of antiarrhythmic drug therapy must be balanced against two
disadvantages. One is that the drugs must be taken daily and indefinitely. The other is the risk of
side effects. While side effects are a risk of all medication, those associated with antiarrhythmic
drugs can be very hard to manage. They include proarrhythmia, the more-frequent occurrence
of preexisting arrhythmias or the appearance of new arrhythmias as bad as or worse than those
being treated.
amiodarone
antiarrhythmic
propranolol
antiarrhythmic
