American College of Cardiology

Common Heart Medications and What They Do

Today’s cardiologists have a whole array of powerful and effective medications to choose from in treating heart disease and are using them to help people live longer and healthier lives. Here are some of the most common medications and a brief explanation of what they do.

• Statins lower blood cholesterol levels and help prevent the build up of fatty deposits in blood ves-sels supplying the heart. In this way, they reduce the risk of chest pain and heart attack.
• Beta blockers lower blood pressure and prevent chest pain and irregular heart beats. Some types of beta blockers have recently proved useful for treating congestive heart failure as well.
• Clot dissolvers, also called thrombolytics, dissolve the blood clots that interrupt blood flow to the heart and cause a heart attack. Clot dissolvers are most effective when given within a few hours of a heart attack, so it’s important to get to the hospital quickly.
• ACE inhibitors lower blood pressure, prevent heart attacks, help the heart to heal after a heart attack, and improve the heart’s function during congestive heart failure.
• Angiotensin II receptor blockers appear to lower blood pressure as effectively as ACE inhibitors but are less likely to cause coughing. Studies are also evaluating whether they are as effective for treating congestive heart failure.
• Antiplatelet medications keep blood clots from forming and markedly improve the success of procedures like angioplasty.
• Blood thinners work in a different way but also prevent blood clots from forming. They are often used after surgery for diseased heart valves and as part of the treatment for an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.
• Calcium-channel blockers lower blood pressure and help prevent chest pain and irregular heart beats.
• Digitalis helps the heart work better in congestive heart failure and is used to treat irregular heartbeats that start in the heart’s upper chamber, or atrium.
• Nitrates relieve chest pain and improve the heart’s function in congestive heart failure.