How does digoxin affect the heart

Other medicines that you may be taking can increase or decrease the effect of digitalis. These effects are called an interaction.

Be sure to tell your doctor about every medicine and vitamin or herbal supplement that you are taking, so he or she can make you aware of any interactions.

The following are categories of medicines that can increase or decrease the effects of digitalis. Because there are so many kinds of medicines within each category, not every type of medicine is listed by name.

Tell your doctor about every medicine that you are taking, even if it is not listed below. While on digitalis, you should also avoid caffeine and should not take diet pills, laxatives, or cough, cold, and sinus medicines. Talk to your doctor about your medical history before you start taking digitalis. The risks of taking the medicine need to be weighed against its benefits. Here are some things to consider if you and your doctor are deciding whether you should take digitalis. Sometimes a medicine causes unwanted effects.

These are called side effects. Not all of the side effects for digitalis are listed here. An arrhythmia is a change in the rhythm of your heartbeat.

Your heart may beat too fast, too slow,…. Beta-blockers are medicine used to treat heart problems and high blood pressure. Learn the benefits and side effects of…. Visit The Symptom Checker.

Read More. Prescription Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Medicines. Naltrexone for Alcoholism. How to Stop Steroid Medicines Safely. Chronic Pain Medicines. Cholesterol-lowering Medicines. Path to improved health How should I take my digoxin? Do any foods or other medicines affect how digoxin works?

Some medicines and foods can decrease the amount of digoxin your body absorbs. These include: Antacids that contain aluminum or magnesium. Some cholesterol-lowering medicines cholestyramine and colestipol. Certain medicines that treat gastrointestinal issues, such metoclopramide or sulfasalazine. Some antidiarrheal medicines that contain kaolin and pectin.

Bulk laxatives such as psyllium, Metamucil, or Citrucel. High-fiber foods such as bran muffins or nutritional supplements such as Ensure. How will my doctor know if I am getting the right amount of digoxin? Despite its limitations, however, digoxin has a place in therapy. Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside derived from the purple foxglove flower. In , the English chemist, botanist, and physician Sir William Withering published his findings that Digitalis purpurea could be used to treat cardiac dropsy congestive heart failure; CHF.

Digoxin acts by inhibiting the sodium-potassium adenosine triphosphatase pump, promoting sodium-calcium exchange; this results in an upsurge of intracellular calcium, thereby increasing myocardial contractility. Digoxin also has parasympathomimetic properties. By increasing vagal tone in the sinoatrial and atrioventricular AV nodes, it slows the heart rate and AV nodal conduction.

Digoxin has been around for centuries, but its use has been limited by several factors. Because of its narrow therapeutic window, digoxin requires close monitoring. Also, two major drawbacks of digoxin are its adverse effects AEs and multiple drug interactions. Despite these limitations, digoxin still plays a role in therapy for HF, AF, and several off-label uses.

It is considered adjunctive therapy, rather than first-line therapy, for these indications. It is used mainly as add-on therapy in AF patients whose heart rates are not adequately controlled on beta-blockers alone. In CHF, contractility is decreased, which in turn reduces cardiac output. Digoxin is effective in patients with CHF because of its positive inotropic properties.

Although studies have shown that digoxin reduces hospitalizations and improves symptoms of HF, it has not been proven to decrease mortality. One double-blind, controlled trial of digoxin for CHF treatment randomized subjects with cardiac dysfunction to digoxin or placebo for 7 weeks. Cardiac function, as measured by ejection fraction EF , was significantly improved in digoxin patients. Digoxin may also be considered in patients with stage C HF structural heart disease with prior or current symptoms of HF or stage D HF HF symptoms at rest and recurrent hospitalizations despite therapy.

Although digoxin is prescribed for patients with HF and AF, concomitant beta-blocker therapy is usually more effective at controlling ventricular response, particularly during exercise. The initial dosage of digoxin is 0. The target serum level of digoxin in HF is 0. Digoxin has been shown effective for decreasing HF symptoms, and its effect on morbidity and mortality has been assessed as well. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile.

Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. For over years, digitalis a substance derived from the foxglove plant , has been a mainstay in the treatment of heart disease —most specifically, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

Digoxin , by far the most commonly used form of digitalis, is still widely prescribed for the treatment of these cardiac conditions. You might still be taking digoxin if you were prescribed this medication many years ago, or your healthcare provider might prescribe it for you if newer treatment options are not considered beneficial for your condition. In recent decades, digoxin has been prescribed less often than in the past because:. Despite these concerns, digoxin can still be useful for the treatment of certain heart conditions.

Digoxin has two major mechanisms of action that can help in the treatment of heart failure or atrial fibrillation:. Digoxin can become toxic above a certain threshold in the blood. Unfortunately, the therapeutic drug levels of digoxin are not that much different than the toxic blood levels. This narrow therapeutic window can make digoxin difficult to use safely for many people.

Toxicity can even occur when the blood level is considered normal. Digoxin toxicity is more likely if you have kidney problems or hypokalemia low potassium levels , both of which are common in people who have heart failure or who take diuretics. The toxic effects of digoxin can lead to:. Digoxin can also cause a loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, and neurological problems such as confusion and visual disturbances.