Why It’s Bad to Skip Prescribed Medications After a Heart Attack

Many patients who have clogged arteries or survive a heart attack don’t consistently take medications prescribed to prevent life-threatening complications, a study confirms. Taking drugs at least every four out of five days lowered the odds death, heart attack, stroke or surgery to restore blood flow, the study found. But less than half of patients took their meds that often. “We have effective, safe inexpensive drugs that prevent stroke, death and heart attack but they don’t work unless the patient chooses to take them,” said Dr. Marie Brown, a researcher…

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Common medications can make heart failure worse

Many prescribed medications, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal products can cause or worsen heart failure, so it’s important for patients to tell doctors about everything they’re taking. So says a new scientific statement from the American heart Association (AHA). Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization for people 65 years of age and older, and the average heart failure patient takes an average of seven prescription medications per day. More than a third of heart failure patients also take herbal supplements, two thirds take vitamins, and seven out of eight…

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