Heart Murmurs – Medications

Transcript

“So let’s discuss some of the medications that are used to treat heart murmurs. We have several different classes of medications and your doctor will discuss them with you, but let’s go over them together. Now we have the first class of medications that are called beta blockers. What is a beta blocker? It’s a type of medication that is used to slow down the heart rate. We use them to treat arrhythmias when the heart is beating too fast. We use them to make the heart relax and reduce contractility and put less stress on the heart when it’s trying to do its job. Beta blockers are used in a lot of different conditions and they help in the treatment of murmurs to slow down the heart rate and reduce the heart’s contraction. The next set of medications are called diuretics. What is a diuretic? It’s also known as a water pill.

It facilitates the kidneys with urination to reduce excess volume in the heart. It reduces pressure and volume in the heart so the heart can do its job better. The next medication is called ACE inhibitors. ACE inhibitors is an acronym, Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor. This is a type of blood pressure medication. This is used to reduce the load on the heart. You reduce the blood pressure, the heart can function more effectively. These three medications are the most common medications you’ll hear about from your cardiologist in the treatment of murmurs and heart disease. Now that we’ve discussed the main medications, it’s important to discuss with your doctor the risks and benefits of using these medications. The side effects, proper dosing, how often to take them and when not to take them. Again, each medication has its own risk and each medication has its own side effects, so it’s important to discuss with your doctor, whether you should be on this medication, and most importantly, how long should you be on this medication and what the goals are by taking this medication.”