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Medications for Coronary Artery Disease

Posted: March 1, 2007

In addition to making lifestyle changes, medicines may be needed to treat coronary artery disease (CAD). Some medicines decrease the workload on the heart and relieve symptoms of CAD. Others decrease the chance of having a heart attack or dying suddenly and prevent or delay the need for a special procedure (for example, angioplasty or bypass surgery).

Several types of medicine are commonly used to treat CAD:

• Cholesterol-lowering medicines help to reduce your cholesterol to a doctor-recommended level.
  
  
• Anticoagulants help to prevent clots from forming in your arteries and blocking blood flow.
  
  
• Aspirin, and other antiplatelet medicines, help to prevent clots from forming in your arteries and blocking blood flow. Blood contains small cells called platelets which clump together to form clots. Antiplatelet medicines reduce the ability of platelets to form clots. Aspirin may not be appropriate for some people because it increases the risk of bleeding. Discuss the benefits and risks with your doctor before starting aspirin therapy.
  
  
• ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors help to lower blood pressure and reduce strain on your heart. They also may reduce the risk of a future heart attack and heart failure.
  
  
• Beta blockers slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure to decrease the workload on your heart. Beta blockers are used to relieve angina and may also reduce the risk of a future heart attack.
  
  
• Calcium channel blockers relax blood vessels (arteries and veins) and lower your blood pressure. These medicines can reduce your heart's workload, help widen coronary arteries, and relieve and control angina.
  
  
• Nitroglycerin widens the coronary arteries, increasing blood flow to the heart muscle and relieving chest pain.
  
  
• Long-acting nitrates can limit the occurrence of chest pain when used regularly over a long period.
  
  
• Glycoprotein IIb-IIIa inhibitors are very strong antiplatelet medicines that are used in hospitals during and after angioplasty or to treat angina.
  
  
• Thrombolytic agents dissolve the clots that can occur during a heart attack. Thrombolytic therapy is administered in the hospital. Thrombolytic therapy and other treatments for heart attack are more effective the sooner they are given after a heart attack starts.

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