Heart Failure: Avoiding Medicines That Make Symptoms Worse

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Introduction

If you have heart failure, you need to be extra careful with medicines. Some can make your heart failure worse. Other medicines may not mix well with your heart failure drugs.

This Actionset will help you learn which medicines you may need to avoid and what questions to ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Key points

• Each time you see a doctor, make sure he or she knows that you take medicines for heart failure.
• Before you fill any new prescription, tell the pharmacist that you have heart failure. Ask if it’s okay to take the new prescription medicine.
• Before you take any over-the-counter medicine, such as a cold or flu remedy, ask your doctor or a pharmacist if it is safe to take it with your heart failure medicines.
• Tell each doctor about all the other medicines you take. This includes over-the-counter medicines, such as cold and flu remedies, herbal products, and natural supplements and vitamins. Take a list of your medicines or bring your medicines to each doctor's appointment.
• Whether or not some medicines will make your heart failure worse depends on how severe your heart failure is. It also depends on what type of heart failure you have.

 What medicines can make heart failure worse?

 Why may you need to avoid certain medicines?

 How do you know if your other medicines are safe to take with your heart failure medicines?

 Where to go from here

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Last updated:	August 25, 2008
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology
Editors:	Marianne Flagg, Terrina Vail