Medications After a Heart Attack

From: www.secondscount.orgYour heart attack recovery will include medications. Taking these medications exactly as prescribed is one of the best tools at your disposal for avoiding death in the months following a heart attack. According to an article published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, heart attack patients who had not filled any of their prescriptions within 120 days of being discharged from the hospital had 80 percent greater odds of death than those who filled all of their prescriptions.Medications you are likely to be prescribed after a heart attack fall into the following classes:Antiplatelet agents – to prevent blood clots and keep the stent open. Examples include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), prasugrel (Effient), and ticagrelor (Brilinta). It is critical that these medicines not be stopped without checking with your cardiologist, for stopping them prematurely can result in another heart attack from the stent closing off abruptly.Statins – to lower cholesterol levels. Examples include atorvastatin (Lipitor), simvastatin (Zocor), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and pravastatin (Pravachol).Beta blockers – to treat high blood pressure and decrease the incidence of abnormal heart rhythms. They can also help the heart remodel and improve heart function. They decrease the amount of work the heart has to do. Beta blockers after a heart attack have increased survival rates. Examples include met...
Source: Dr Portnay - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs