In many cases, medication can be effective in preventing or controlling heart disease – especially when combined with healthy lifestyle changes. If drugs are prescribed, it is important to take them only as directed by your healthcare provider. Following are some of the drugs commonly used to treat heart disease.

• ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor – This drug is used to control high blood pressure and prevent further damage to the heart muscle. It works by stopping the production of a chemical that causes blood vessels to narrow, and is often prescribed for patients who have experienced a heart attack or those suffering from heart failure.

• Anti-platelet agents – These drugs keep blood clots from forming by preventing blood platelets from sticking together, and are often prescribed to help prevent clotting in patients who have had a heart attack, unstable angina, ischemic strokes, TIA (transient ischemic attacks, or “little strokes”) and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

  Commonly prescribed anti-platelets include:

  • Aspirin can help lower the risk of a second heart attack in patients who have had a previous heart bypass or angioplasty. Aspirin is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for preventing heart attacks in healthy individuals. Patients should be carefully evaluated by a physician before beginning a regular aspirin regimen.
  • Clopidogrel or Plavix are also commonly prescribed anti-platelets. The current recommendation is for patients to take a Clopidogrel or Plavix for at least 12 months following certain stent procedures. This is due to the fact that clotting may occur as much as a year later following these types of procedures. If your doctor has prescribed this drug for you, DO NOT STOP taking it with consulting him first.

• Beta blocker – These drugs work by slowing the heart so that it contracts with less force, allowing blood pressure to drop. Beta blockers are used in patients with high blood pressure or chest pain and are often effective in helping to prevent repeat heart attacks.

• Blood cholesterol-lowering agents – These drugs, which take many forms, work by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in the blood.

• Calcium channel blocker – This drug relaxes blood vessels and is recommended for patients with high blood pressure and chest pain.

• Digitalis - Often prescribed for patients whose heart pumping function has been weakened, digitalis is effective at making the heart contract harder or slow fast heart rhythms.

• Diuretic – Sometimes called “water pills,” these drugs are used to regulate high blood pressure and work by decreasing fluid in the body.

• Nitrates (including nitroglcerine) – This common drug stops chest pain by relaxing blood vessels.

• Thrombolytic agents – Often called “clot busting drugs,” thrombolytic agents are sometimes given during a heart attack to restore blood flow by breaking apart blood clots in coronary arteries.

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