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A common class of medications used to treat congestive heart failure is diuretics. Diuretics are also known as water pills. Water pills help your body remove fluid that would otherwise collect in your legs or in your lungs. Diuretics include hydroclorothiazide, spironolactone, torsemide, furosemide, and bumetanide. Those last two are also known as Lasix and Bumex. Each of these helps your kidneys remove more fluid than they normally would without the treatment. So you can expect to urinate more when you take these medicines. There are also other medicines prescribed for CHF. They are used to help your heart function. These include beta blockers like Carvedilol or Metoprolol, ACE inhibitors, like lisinopril or enalapril, nitroglycerin, and occasionally digoxin. Many of these medications lower blood pressure too. Your cardiologist or primary care doctor will balance these medications so that you can stay the most active and not have a blood pressure that is too low.
