Overview of Cardiovascular Medications Groups


Overview of Cardiovascular Medications Groups

1. Diuretics:

  • Sulphonamide Diuretics:
  • Uses: Treatment of hypertension, glaucoma, diuretic, alkalization of urine to remove uric acid.
  • Side effects: Hypokalemia, hyponatremia; kidney stones; gastrointestinal disorders; metabolic acidosis.
  • Contraindications: Chronic cardiopulmonary disease with respiratory insufficiency, cirrhosis, hepatic failure.
  • Drugs: Acetazolamide, Dichlorphenamide, Methazolamide (mainly for glaucoma).
  • Osmotic Diuretics:
  • Uses: Treatment of hypertension, glaucoma, cerebral edema, prevention and treatment of anuria due to renal failure.
  • Side effects: Heart failure, pulmonary edema, dehydration, hypernatremia, hypokalemia if not supplemented with water.
  • Contraindications: Heart failure, pulmonary edema, anuria due to severe renal failure.
  • Drugs: Mannitol.
  • Thiazide Diuretics:
  • Uses: Treatment of hypertension, edema due to heart, liver, and kidney disease, treatment of idiopathic hypercalciuria, weak prolonged diuretic.
  • Side effects: Hyponatremia, hypokalemia; hypermagnesemia, hypercalcemia, hyperuricemia, hyperglycemia; metabolic alkalosis.
  • Contraindications: Side effects + hypersensitivity, cirrhosis, renal failure, heart failure, gout.
  • Drugs: Hydrochlorothiazide, Chlothalidone, Indapamide.
  • Loop Diuretics:
  • Uses: Treatment of hypertension (with heart failure, renal failure), acute pulmonary edema, acute hypercalcemia.
  • Side effects: Hyponatremia, hypokalemia, hypotension; hyperuricemia, hyperglycemia; metabolic alkalosis.
  • Contraindications: Sulfonamide allergy, cirrhosis, renal failure, heart failure.
  • Drugs: Furosemide, Bumetanide, Torsemide (Antiandrogen causes gynecomastia in men).
  • Potassium-sparing Diuretics:
  • Uses:
  • Non-aldosterone antagonists: In combination with potassium-losing diuretics to treat hypertension, maintain potassium levels.
  • Aldosterone antagonists: Treatment of hypertension (+ with adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism), primary, secondary aldosteronism.
  • Side effects: Hyperkalemia, hyponatremia; gastrointestinal disorders; metabolic acidosis; arrhythmia, allergy.
  • Contraindications: Hyperkalemia, chronic renal failure, liver dysfunction.
  • Drugs: Amiloride, Triamterene, Spironolactone.

2. Sympatholytics:

  • Centrally Acting Drugs:
  • Uses: Treatment of hypertension with renal failure, systolic hypertension, pulmonary arterial hypertension.
  • Side effects: Dry mouth, nausea, gastrointestinal disorders, abrupt cessation causes rebound hypertension.
  • Drugs: Methyldopa: Orthostatic hypotension, sedation, depression, impotence, edema.

Clonidine, Guabenz: Less likely to cause orthostatic hypotension -> suitable for the elderly.

  • Contraindications: Depression, liver failure, hemolytic anemia.
  • Ganglionic Blockers:
  • Uses: Treat severe hypertensive crises to bring down to permissible levels for a short period of time, lower blood pressure control during surgery.
  • Side effects:
  • Parasympathetic blockade: Paralytic ileus, constipation, nasal congestion, urinary retention.
  • Sympathetic blockade: Orthostatic hypotension.
  • Contraindications: Hypersensitivity.
  • Drugs: Mecamylamine, Trimethophan.
  • Peripherally Acting Drugs:
  • Uses: Treatment of mild to moderate hypertension.
  • Side effects:
  • Reserpine: Depression, drowsiness, weight gain, peptic ulcer, impotence, edema.
  • Guanethidine: Orthostatic hypotension, impotence, diarrhea, nasal congestion.
  • Contraindications: Depression, do not use with MAOIs, TCAs.
  • Alpha Blockers:
  • Uses: Treatment of mild to moderate hypertension.
  • Side effects: Orthostatic hypotension, first-dose syndrome.
  • Drugs:
  • Prazosin: Used for severe, difficult-to-control hypertension, take the first dose before bed.
  • Terazosin: Debility, drowsiness, dyspnea, edema.
  • Contraindications: Hypersensitivity.
  • Beta Blockers:
  • Uses:
  • Mild to moderate hypertension; Combine with the main drug in special clinical conditions .
  • Top of the line in stable exertional angina, not used for Prinzmetal because it increases coronary resistance.
  • Side effects:
  • Reduced myocardial contractility, heart rate.
  • Fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness.
  • Exacerbates Raynaud’s syndrome.
  • Masks hypoglycemic reactions.
  • Contraindications: Hypersensitivity, Raynaud’s syndrome, asthma, heart failure, bradycardia.
  • Drugs:
  • Atenolol, Esmolol, Labetalol, Propanolol: Hypertension + Angina.
  • Carvedilol, Metaprolol: Hypertension + Angina + Congestive Heart Failure.
  • Bisoprolol: Hypertension + Heart Failure.

3. Vasodilators:

  • Uses:
  • Moderate to severe, malignant hypertension (hydrazine).
  • Hypertension replacing hydrazine in renal failure.
  • Emergency hypertension, acute pulmonary edema, severe heart failure.
  • Side effects: Headache, vomiting, lupus-like syndrome, increased sympathetic reflex, weight gain, hirsutism.
  • Contraindications: Hypersensitivity.
  • Drugs: Hydralazine, Minoxidil, Diazoxide, Sodium nitroprusside.

4. Calcium Channel Blockers (CCBs):

  • Uses: Angina, effective for all types of angina, especially Prinzmetal, hypertension.
  • Side effects: Congestive heart failure, bradycardia, suppression of atrioventricular conduction, edema, headache, dizziness.
  • Contraindications: Heart failure, atrioventricular block, do not combine with Beta-blockers, Digitalis.
  • Drugs:
  • DHP group: Amlodipine, Nifedipine, Nicardipine (CCĐ aortic stenosis).
  • Non-DHP group: Diltiazem, Verapamil.

5. Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors – ACEIs:

  • Uses:
  • First-line drug in hypertension (with diabetes, chronic kidney disease CKD).
  • Chronic congestive heart failure CHF.
  • Side effects: Hypotension when first used, hyperkalemia, dry cough, angioedema, renal failure in people with bilateral renal artery stenosis.
  • Contraindications: Pulmonary arterial hypertension, history of angioedema, hyperkalemia, bilateral renal artery stenosis.
  • Drugs:
  • Captopril: Chronic hypertension (with DM, CHF). Take 1 hour before meals/ 2 hours after meals.
  • Enalapril: Hypertension, CHF, left ventricular dysfunction.
  • Lisinopril: Hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction (take at the beginning).
  • Fosinopril: Hypertension, CHF.
  • Perindopril: Hypertension, stable coronary artery disease CAD. Take before meals.

6. Angiotensin Receptor Blockers – ARBs:

  • Uses: Alternative drug when experiencing dry cough from ACEIs.
  • Side effects: Similar to ACEIs, less dry cough than ACEIs.
  • Contraindications: Similar to ACEIs.
  • Drugs: Losartan, Valsartan, Candesartan.

7. Heart Failure Treatment:

  • Cardiac Glycosides:
  • Uses: Congestive heart failure with low output, treatment of arrhythmias (atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter).
  • Side effects: Gastrointestinal disorders, vision, nervous system, cardiovascular (sinus bradycardia, ventricular fibrillation, atrioventricular block).
  • Contraindications: Conduction disorders, increased ventricular excitability, sick sinus syndrome.
  • Drugs: Digoxin, Digitoxin, Oabain.
  • Diuretics:
  • Mild chronic heart failure: thiazide
  • Severe congestive heart failure: loop
  • Vasodilators: Severe acute heart failure
  • ACE inhibitors: CHF
  • New Inotropic Drugs:
  • Uses: Progressive heart failure in a short period of time.
  • Side effects: Headache, nausea, arrhythmias, thrombocytopenia.
  • Contraindications: Hypersensitivity, arrhythmias.
  • Administration: Intravenous infusion.
  • Beta-Blockers:
  • All patients with heart failure, mild or severe, need to use if there are no contraindications -> prolongs life for patients.
  • New Inotropic Drugs:
  • Uses: Progressive heart failure in a short period of time.
  • Side effects: Headache, nausea, arrhythmias, thrombocytopenia.
  • Contraindications: Hypersensitivity, arrhythmias.
  • Administration: Intravenous infusion.

8. Angina Treatment:

  • Organic Nitrates:
  • Uses: Exertional angina, stress; prevention of myocardial infarction, hypertension, CHF.
  • Side effects: Orthostatic hypotension, increased intracranial pressure, flushing, long-term high doses cause drug tolerance, causing Met-Hb blood.
  • Contraindications: Hypotension, glaucoma, increased intracranial pressure, rapid heart rate (>100) slow heart rate (<80).
  • Drugs: Nitroglycerin, Amylnitrite, Isosorbide dinitrate.
  • Calcium Channel Blockers:
  • Beta Blockers:

9. Dyslipidemia Treatment:

  • Statins:
  • Uses: Dyslipidemia, primary prevention of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke).
  • Side effects: Gastrointestinal disorders, headache, muscle pain, elevated liver enzymes.
  • Contraindications: Pulmonary arterial hypertension, hypersensitivity, progressive liver disease on a chronic background.
  • Drugs: Ator, Lo, Sim, Pra, Flu, Rosu, Pita +vastatin.
  • Administration: Take at night to increase drug efficacy (because cholesterol synthesis in the liver mainly occurs at night).
  • Fibrates:
  • Uses: Hyperlipidemia (with gout, risk of pancreatitis), primary beta-lipoprotein disorder.
  • Side effects: Gastrointestinal disorders, liver dysfunction, elevated liver enzymes, gallstones.
  • Contraindications: Liver dysfunction, biliary disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, hypersensitivity, renal failure, pulmonary arterial hypertension.
  • Drugs:
  • Clofibrate: Take with food.
  • Gemfibrozil: Take 30′ before breakfast and dinner.
  • Bile Acid Sequestrants:
  • Uses:
  • Dyslipidemia, prevent cardiovascular complications (stroke, heart attack).
  • Combine with Statin, Niacin to reduce TC, LDL.
  • Side effects: Throat irritation, gastrointestinal disorders (constipation, bloating, vomiting…).
  • Contraindications:
  • TG>400mg/dL (Familial hyperlipidemia), bile duct obstruction.
  • Caution TG>200 mg/dL.
  • Hypersensitivity.
  • Drugs:
  • Cholestyramine, Colestipol, Colesevelam (at night): Take with plenty of water, with breakfast and dinner.

This translation closely mirrors the original text, maintaining the organization and information. However, it is important to note that this is a general overview and does not substitute for professional medical advice. It is crucial to consult with a healthcare professional for specific diagnoses and treatment plans.



Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *