Drugs that affect the heart

The heart, an essential part of the circulatory system, is responsible for pumping blood (and other nutrients such as oxygen, glucose, etc) to all parts of the body. When the heart fails in this regard, a lot of organs are affected such as the brain.

A lot of factors can affect the functioning of the heart such

• Smoking
• Alcoholism
• Drugs
• Diet
• Age
• Many other factors.

This article will focus on drugs that affect the heart. Drugs affect the heart via various mechanisms such as

• Increasing or decreasing heart rate
• Increasing the force of contractions of the heart muscles usually by increasing cardiac output (blood volume) and arterial blood pressure (pressure in the blood vessels as a result of constriction of the blood vessels).
• Increase the risk of formation of clots in the blood vessels leading to a heart attack or stroke.
• Increase risk factors leading to heart disease.
• And other reasons.

Some of these effects are more pronounced in people with heart disease or have a high risk of having heart disease or heart failure

Here are some of the drugs that may directly or indirectly affect the heart (either temporarily or permanently) :

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These increase the chance of blood clot formation when overused or used beyond doses that are recommended daily dose.
• Caffeine. It can cause a temporary increase in heart rate.
• Illicit drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, etc.
• Medications for cold and flu that contain pseudoephedrine, oxymetazoline, etc. These have the tendency to increase blood pressure and heart rate most especially when taken with other drugs that cause this.
• Hypnotics and sedatives such as Diazepam, Bromazepam, Lorazepam, etc, can cause a slowed down heart rate.
• Opioid analgesics such as Morphine, pentazocine, etc most especially when abused.
• Tobacco
• Alcohol
• Anabolic steroids which include testosterone and its derivatives.
• Some antidiabetic medications in people who already have kidney disease such as metformin, vildagliptin, etc.
• Some herbal drugs such as licorice, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, garlic, etc, most especially when taken with blood thinners such as warfarin.

This list is not exhaustive. There are various drugs that can affect the heart directly or indirectly.

It is important to take care of our health. Health is Wealth. Also remember, drugs are potential poisons! Don’t use drugs when it isn’t required. Don’t abuse drugs. Always seek the advice of a pharmacist or a doctor before taking drugs.