info@burtsrx.com
Managing heart medications can be a tough task but a compounding pharmacy can help your regimen.
According to the Center for Disease Control, someone in America dies every 36 seconds due to heart disease. That translates to one in four people and over 650,000 people a year, and they are often younger than 65 years old.
These numbers do not include the alarming statistics of how many people have heart attacks or heart-related issues and do not die.
Researchers have found that heart medications are one of the first lines of defense in preventing heart disease and related events. They are essential for those seeking positive heart health.
What is Heart Health?
Heart health refers to a lifestyle that includes making healthy choices in all areas of your life so you can live longer. It means understanding the risks of not making good choices while taking measures to reduce the chances of having a heart attack or other major health events.
Heart health includes:
- Focusing on healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels
- Eating a healthy diet
- Managing weight
- Managing stress
- Being physically active
- Getting proper sleep
A big part of positive heart health is taking medications prescribed by your doctor. While no one enjoys taking pills daily, they can add years to your life and allow you to make lifestyle changes before it is too late.
After a thorough exam, your doctor will assign the best medications to treat the issues you have that could lead to heart disease.
Heart Medications
There are numerous heart medications to help prevent a heart-related event. The one you may be prescribed will be based on your issues, like high blood pressure, chest pains, cholesterol imbalance, or clotting.
Anticoagulants
One group of heart medication is called anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners. These medications prevent blood clots from forming. They do not dissolve blood clots that have already formed, however.
ACE Inhibitors & Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors
Another anti-clotting medication focused on the prevention of blood platelets from sticking together. Medicines that help your blood flow easier are referred to as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. They expand your blood vessels to allow blood to flow more freely, so the heart doesn’t have to work so hard to do its job.
Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockers decrease your heart rate and the force of contraction to lower your blood pressure. It keeps the heart from having to continuously work overtime to function.
Calcium Channel Blockers
Calcium channel blockers are also used to treat high blood pressure by preventing calcium from entering the cells of the heart. Cholesterol-lowering medications are similar and often prescribed to lower the amount of plaque buildup in your blood cells.
Diuretics
Diuretics are also commonly prescribed for heart health if your body needs assistance in ridding itself of excess fluids that can buildup and make it harder for your heart to function.
Before You Take Medication
As noted, there are many heart medications, and the ones listed above are just a few of the most common types.
Before taking any medications, make sure you understand why you are taking it, what it is made of, how to take it, and what to do if you have an adverse reaction. The more you know about your medication, the more control you can have over its effectiveness.
Do not just take medication blindly. Ultimately it is your health at stake.
Ask questions to your pharmacist, the expert in pharmaceuticals. Your pharmacist can also help bust the myths connected to taking heart medications.
Myths About Taking Heart Medications
The American Heart Association has put together a list of the most common myths regarding heart medication. The first, that it is okay to stop taking your heart medication when you feel alright.
Myth #1
Stopping your medication cold turkey at any time can be dangerous. When you are feeling good, it is because you have been taking your medication. That is a clue you should continue your medication. If you stop taking medication, you could cause precisely what you are trying to avoid, a heart attack or stroke.
Myth #2
Another myth is that you can supplement or replace your heart medications with vitamins or over the counter formulations. This can be dangerous in that some supplements may cause negative interactions with your heart medication. For example, vitamin K can have an interaction with blood thinners.
Myth #3
The best way to avoid interactions is to ask your pharmacist to check your medication list. This leads to a third myth that natural supplements work better than prescribed medicines. This is false because you can’t be 100% sure of the ingredients in supplements, especially those not approved by the FDA. Also, there have been few, if any, studies showing the effectiveness of preventing heart-related events.
Myth #4
A few more Mythbusters include the following: generic brands are just as effective as brand name; it is not okay to pop over the counter medications for headaches or congestion without checking with your pharmacist or doctor first, and the pills alone will not keep you from dying – you must have a healthy lifestyle too.
Myth #5
Finally, some people believe they are stuck with taking a one-size-fits-all medication. Not so. In fact, your pharmacist can create compounded medicine made to order, meeting your needs only.
The Importance of Compounded Heart Medications
A compounding pharmacy creates specialized medication for your needs. They formulate your doses using your prescription, as well as personal issues you have. For example, if you have allergies to certain ingredients, your pharmacist can ensure your medicine does not include those ingredients. Or, they can ensure your medication does not interact with anything else you are taking.
Compounding allows your pharmacist to changes doses, create more comfortable to ingest varieties, and they can even combine your medications so that you are only taking one total dose per day.
Pharmacists who compound medication locally can make sure you are getting the safest, freshest medicines in a form that is easiest for you to take.
Start building your relationship with your local pharmacist today. Ask questions and allow them to help you improve your heart health.
