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These Common Heart Disease Medications Have Terrifying Side Effects

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It’s difficult enough navigating the world if you have heart disease. But it gets even scarier when you have to be wary of the medications you are taking. Modern medicine gives you access to some of the best heart prescriptions out there. However, some of the most well-known medications also come with terrifying side effects. Here are the kinds of medicine you should be aware of.

Aspirin

Aspirin bottle with tablets

Popping an aspirin a day is not for everyone. | iStock.com

As Mayo Clinic explains, a daily aspirin regimen can lower your chance of having a heart attack. However, this kind of therapy isn’t for everyone. Side effects of regular aspirin use include gastrointestinal bleeding and stroke due to broken blood vessels. Internal bleeding can also occur if you mix aspirin with ibuprofen.

Beta-blockers

Pile of prescription pills spilling from open pill bottle.

A lot of people use this medication to treat congestive heart failure. | iStock.com/ANDROMACHI

This medication is widely used for treating congestive heart failure and managing hypertension. But as WebMD points out, beta-blockers don’t come without side effects. Dizziness and fatigue are common, and are usually mild. But in severe cases, beta-blockers can cause depression, trouble sleeping, and shortness of breath.

Diuretics

Swollen feet

Swollen feet are a side effect of diuretics. | iStock.com

There are a variety of medications that can be categorized as diuretics, which rid the body of excess sodium and help alleviate swelling that is caused by heart failure. While a loss of appetite is common with this kind of medicine, more severe side effects include tingling in the hands and feet, hives, confusion, and even an irregular heartbeat.

Statins

hands showing red heart

These medications are supposed to help lower your risk of a heart attack. | iStock.com

These cholesterol-lowing medications are meant to help lower your risk of a heart attack or stroke. But they can also cause muscle pain, increased blood sugar, and even liver damage. Statins can also cause mental fogginess, to the point that some patients suffer from memory loss.

Nitrates

Middle-aged businessman suffering chest pains

Nitrates can cause dizziness and headaches. | iStock.com/mheim3011

If you have heart disease, you have probably been prescribed nitrates for chest pain. While this medicine can help ease chest discomfort, it can also cause dizziness, headaches, and light-headedness. Some nitrates can also cause an allergic reaction, like skin tingling or itching and burning under the tongue.

ACE Inhibitors

Doctor taking patients blood pressure

An ACE Inhibitor can cause your blood pressure to drop too low. | iStock.com

For someone with heart failure, blood pressure is high and the heart has difficulty pumping narrowed blood cells. ACE inhibitors help relax the blood vessels and make them easier to pump. While this lowering of blood pressure is a good thing, side effects include blood pressure getting too low. Plus, ACE inhibitors don’t react well with other medicines, like ibuprofen and non-prescription vitamins.

 Anti-arrhythmics

Nurse Visiting Senior Male Patient

Anti-arrhythmic drugs can actually make your arrhythmia worse. | iStock.com/monkeybusinessimages

This one is pretty self-explanatory — this type of drug helps regulate your heartbeat. Unfortunately, one scary side effect is that this medicine can actually make your arrhythmia worse. Chest pain, dizziness, and swelling of the extremities can also occur while taking anti-arrhythmic drugs.

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