Heart Disease
Heart Failure
The treatment of heart failure
People suffering from heart failure can almost always be helped by a combination of changes in lifestyle and medication. Your doctor will select the most appropriate treatment for you.
Medications aim to:
- Remove the excess fluid that causes the swelling in the feet and ankles. This will also make breathing easier. These drugs also increase the flow of urine.
- Improve blood circulation. This may be achieved by drugs that widen the arteries, allowing the blood to flow more easily. This may reduce the work on the heart.
- Improve the heart's ability to pump.
- Prevent rhythm disturbances of the heart or an irregular heartbeat.
You may require some or all of these medicines. Also, medication to prevent blood clots is sometimes prescribed.
Medicines will not work if you do not take them
Soon after you stop taking these medications, the symptoms of heart failure are likely to come back. So, it is very important to follow your doctor's advice and take all the medicines that he or she prescribes, every single day. You may be tempted to skip a dose because you may be feeling much better — but you must not!
