Restrictive Cardiomyopathy: Home Treatment

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Home Treatment

While medical care is important in treating restrictive cardiomyopathy, the following self-care recommendations are also critical.

• Limit alcohol. Drink moderately, which is 2 drinks a day or less for men or 1 drink a day or less for women. Long-term overuse of alcohol may increase the risk of developing cardiomyopathy in some people.
• Restrict salt (sodium) in your diet. The body attempts to compensate for heart failure by retaining salt and water. This leads to fluid buildup and swelling. For more information, see:

  Heart failure: Eating less salt.

  Low-salt diets: Eating out.

• Limit fluids if your doctor tells you to. Talk to your doctor about how much fluid is safe for your specific condition. For more information, see:

  Heart failure: Watching your fluids.

• Weigh yourself daily. If fluid begins to build up rapidly, you will notice a sudden weight gain. Your doctor may tell you how much weight to watch for. But in general, call your doctor if you gain or more in 2 to 3 days. For more information, see:

  How do I check my weight?.

• Limit your physical activity. People with restrictive cardiomyopathy may need to avoid overexertion because their hearts are not able to increase blood flow during exercise. Talk to your doctor about the best balance of rest and activity for your specific condition.
• Avoid triggers for sudden heart failure. For more information, see:

  Heart failure: Avoiding triggers for sudden heart failure.

• Take your medicines as directed. If you don't, your heart failure may get worse, or you may develop sudden heart failure. For more information, see:

  Heart failure: Taking medicines properly.

• Be careful using nonprescription medicines. Some medicines can make your heart failure worse. For more information see:
  • Heart failure: Avoiding medicines that make symptoms worse.

For more information on home treatment, see the topic Heart Failure.

Last updated:	August 26, 2008
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC