cardiac meds

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Today in lecture, we started covering cardiac meds. this is the first place I thought of once lecture was over. If anyone has any advice as to what will help me and my classmates remember this different meds, please reply. I have found this site and everyone who has ever replied to my posts.

Thank you all.................

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Specializes in Telemetry.

I am doing cardiac meds too and I would like toget some interesting sites too.

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

it is really memory that will help you with the cardiac meds,

here are some of my notes that I got from mayo clinic

remember:

metropolol and most other ending in (olol) are BB's (beta blockers )

Beta blockers, also known as beta-adrenergic blocking agents, are medications that reduce your blood pressure. Beta blockers work by blocking the effects of the hormone epinephrine, also known as adrenaline. When you take beta blockers, the heart beats more slowly and with less force, thereby reducing blood pressure. Beta blockers also help blood vessels open up to improve blood flow.

Examples of beta blockers

Some beta blockers mainly affect your heart, while others affect both your heart and your blood vessels. Which one is best for you depends on your health and the condition being treated.

Examples of beta blockers include:

  • Acebutolol (Sectral)
  • Atenolol (Tenormin)
  • Bisoprolol (Zebeta)
  • Carvedilol (Coreg)
  • Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
  • Nadolol (Corgard)
  • Nebivolol (Bystolic)
  • Propranolol (Inderal LA)

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on ACE inhibitors you will see most of them ending with prils

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors help relax blood vessels. ACE inhibitors prevent an enzyme in your body from producing angiotensin II, a substance in your body that affects your cardiovascular system by narrowing your blood vessels and releasing hormones that can raise your blood pressure. This narrowing can cause high blood pressure and force your heart to work harder.

Examples of ACE inhibitors

Several ACE inhibitors are available. Which one is best for you depends on your health and the condition being treated.

Examples of ACE inhibitors include:

  • Benazepril (Lotensin)
  • Captopril (Capoten)
  • Enalapril (Vasotec)
  • Fosinopril (Monopril)
  • Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
  • Moexipril (Univasc)
  • Perindopril (Aceon)
  • Quinapril (Accupril)
  • Ramipril (Altace)
  • Trandolapril (Mavik)

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CCB's calcium channel blockers will mostly end with pine

Calcium channel blockers prevent calcium from entering cells of the heart and blood vessel walls, resulting in lower blood pressure. Calcium channel blockers, also called calcium antagonists, relax and widen blood vessels by affecting the muscle cells in the arterial walls.

Some of the medications in this class have the added benefit of slowing your heart rate, which can further lower blood pressure, relieve chest pain (angina) and control an irregular heartbeat.

Examples of calcium channel blockers

Some calcium channel blockers are available in short-acting and long-acting forms. Short-acting medications work quickly, but their effects last only a few hours. Long-acting medications are slowly released to provide a longer lasting effect.

Several calcium channel blockers are available. Which one is best for you depends on your health and the condition being treated.

Examples of calcium channel blockers include:

  • Amlodipine (Norvasc)
  • Diltiazem (Cardizem LA, Dilacor XR, Tiazac)
  • Felodipine (Plendil)
  • Isradipine (DynaCirc CR)
  • Nicardipine (Cardene, Cardene SR)
  • Nifedipine (Procardia, Procardia XL, Adalat CC)
  • Nisoldipine (Sular)
  • Verapamil (Calan Verelan, Covera-HS)

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Angiotensin II will mostly end with artan

Angiotensin II receptor blockers help relax your blood vessels, which lowers your blood pressure and makes it easier for your heart to pump blood.

Angiotensin II is a natural substance in your body that affects your cardiovascular system in many ways, such as by narrowing your blood vessels. This narrowing can increase your blood pressure and force your heart to work harder. Angiotensin II also starts the release of a hormone that increases the amount of sodium and water in your body, which can lead to increased blood pressure. Angiotensin II can also thicken and stiffen the walls of your blood vessels and heart.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers block the action of angiotensin II. That allows blood vessels to widen (dilate).

Examples of angiotensin II receptor blockers

Several angiotensin II receptor blockers are available. Which one is best for you depends on your health and the condition being treated.

Examples of angiotensin II receptor blockers include:

  • Candesartan (Atacand)
  • Eprosartan (Teveten)
  • Irbesartan (Avapro)
  • Losartan (Cozaar)
  • Olmesartan (Benicar)
  • Telmisartan (Micardis)
  • Valsartan (Diovan)

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to understand vasodilators

Vasodilators for high blood pressure

Examples

Generic Name Brand Name clonidine Catapres doxazosin Cardura guanabenz

guanadrel

guanfacine Tenex hydralazine

methyldopa Aldomet minoxidil

prazosin Minipress terazosin Hytrin How It Works

These medicines work by relaxing the smooth muscle of blood vessels, which opens up (dilates) the blood vessels. This allows blood to flow more easily, thereby lowering blood pressure.

Some of these medicines need to be combined with other medicines to counteract the body's natural tendency to retain fluid and increase heart rate when there is a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Vasodilators are not commonly used alone to treat ongoing high blood pressure because of the significant drop in blood pressure that they cause, which may lead to heart palpitations or rapid heartbeat. They may be used if a person is in a hypertensive crisis or when other classes of medicine are not effective in controlling high blood pressure. They also may be used if a person has certain other conditions in addition to high blood pressure-such as heart failure, asthma, impotence, or an enlarged prostate-that may benefit from the effects of vasodilators. For high blood pressure, vasodilators usually are used in combination with a beta-blocker and/or a diuretic, and in some cases with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or calcium channel blockers.

Why It Is Used

These drugs often are used to treat high blood pressure in combination with other drugs when first-line medicines alone do not control blood pressure.

Older medicines (such as hydralazine, guanadrel) may be prescribed only for people who have severe high blood pressure or when blood pressure does not respond to other medicines.

Methyldopa can be used in pregnant women who have high blood pressure and in people who also have kidney disease.

Minoxidil is effective in people who have severe high blood pressure problems, which sometimes may be seen in people with severe kidney disease.

Terazosin and doxazosin are also used to treat symptoms of enlarged prostate.

Clonidine may be used in people whose high blood pressure is not lowered with other medicines.

How Well It Works

Vasodilators are effective in helping reduce blood pressure. They are usually not used as the initial medicine but are added on to other therapies.

Side Effects

Many of the side effects of these medicines are due to the significant drop in blood pressure that they cause. Side effects include:

  • Fainting.
  • Rapid heartbeat.
  • Irregular heartbeat (palpitations).
  • Headache.
  • Fluid retention (edema).
  • Gastrointestinal disturbances (hydralazine only).
  • Hair growth (minoxidil only).
  • Very low blood pressure (hypotension).
  • Drowsiness.
  • Dry mouth.
  • Erection problems (impotence).
  • Fatigue.
  • Rapid return of high blood pressure if medicines are stopped suddenly.
  • Skin irritation (clonidine patch).

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

Some of the newer vasodilator medicines have fewer side effects than the older ones. Older drugs may be tried when blood pressure problems are difficult to control.

It is important to take high blood pressure medicines daily as prescribed. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so it is easy to forget to take the pills.

If your high blood pressure medicine causes erection problems you may want to talk to your doctor about erection-enhancing medicines such as sildenafil (Viagra) *** remember no viagra with nitro!!!!****

:D hope it helps!

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Thanks a lot for the wonderful information. I will share it with classmates.

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We just finished Cardiology in Med-Surg II and I'll post the drug information that we had to know for the exam. Hope these help!

Sarah Hay

Cardiac Drugs.doc

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