More Heart Disease Medications

Another drug your doctor may prescribe you is in a class called ACE inhibitors. These are used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. If you have already had a heart attack, you may also be taking this. While ace inhibitors are usually free from harsh side effects, some people do develop problems taking them.

They may develop a cough, get an elevated blood potassium level, feel dizzy, develop headaches, weakness or even feel drowsy after taking these drugs. Unfortunately, once you get off of this medication, it may take an additional month for the cough to subside.

If you're taking any of the following, your taking an ACE inhibitor: captopril (Capoten), benazepril (Lotensin), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Prinivil, or Zestril) fosinopril (Monoril) ramipril (Altace), perindopril (Aceon) quinapril (Accupril), moexipril (Univasc) and trandolapril (Mavik).

Your physician may also prescribe a blood-thinning medication, especially if you're at high risk for a stroke or heart attack. These medications are called anticoagulants. These drugs are especially helpful for those who are at risk at developing blood clots. In addition to thinning the blood, these drugs also reduce the ability of the blood to clot.

If you take herbal supplements for your health and wellness, it's extremely important to know what each herb does within your body if you're also taking prescription heart medications. Some herbs, for instance, may counteract what your prescription medications are meant to do, while others may enhance the effects of the medications instead.