How to relax the walls of arteries: calcium channel blockers

Some drugs are able to treat a whole class of diseases, because they affect all processes of one kind in the body. Of course, usually the doctor appoints such medications with great caution, because the drug is included in a large number of regulatory mechanisms. All this is true for the class of drugs "calcium channel blockers." There are a number of features.

So, what are calcium channel blockers and how do they affect the disease?

In order to pump blood, the heart needs oxygen. The harder the heart works, the more oxygen you need. Angina pectoris arises if the supply of oxygen to the heart muscle is insufficient for its increased demands. Calcium channel blockers cause the walls of the arteries to relax, and as a result, blood pressure may drop significantly. The heart becomes much easier to pump blood, the load decreases, the need for oxygen - too.

What diseases are treated with calcium channel blockers?

Preparations of this kind are treated:

• Arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia) ;
• Post-infarction states (for those who do not tolerate beta-blockers);
• Angina pectoris (pain effect disappears);
• Arterial hypertension (and many associated diseases);
• Pulmonary hypertension (increased pulmonary pressure);
• Reynaud's syndrome (severe numbness of the fingers) ;
• Cardiomyopathy (an increase in the left ventricle);
• Hemorrhage in the subarachnoid space.

Are there any differences among drugs of this class of drugs?

Calcium channel blockers differ in the duration of the effect, the way the drug is excreted from the body. And, most importantly, the ability to influence the frequency and power of contracting the heart. For example, the slow calcium channel blocker amlodipine has little effect on the frequency and severity of contraction, which allows it to be used to treat patients with a reduced frequency of cardiac contractions (other drugs can be extremely dangerous in this condition), and even patients after a heart attack, who generally can not be reduced Force of contraction of the myocardium. Kardizem and verapamil have the strongest reducing effect on strength and heart rate, so they are suitable for suffering tachycardia.

What about the side effects?

They are present and unpleasant, but not for everyone who has to use this class of drugs. Most Frequent:

• Constipation (because these drugs affect not only the heart muscle, but also the muscles of the digestive tract);
• Headache (the brain may not have enough blood);
• Rash;
• Swelling of the legs;
• Reduced pressure;
• Drowsiness and dizziness.

Occasionally, the work of the liver is disrupted. Sometimes, the gums increase. After a heart attack, some of the drugs ("Verapamil", "Kardizem") can not be used. These are very serious medications, so without a doctor's appointment, they can not be used, or violent violations are inevitable. Like any drugs that affect pressure, these drugs can have an adverse effect on potency. However, patients usually do not have alternatives, since the indications for using these drugs are usually very serious.

Interaction with other substances:

Especially cautious should be with verapamil and kardizem, because they strongly affect the liver. Therefore, other drugs may start to stand out badly, and this leads to poisoning them. They do not combine with lovastatin and carabamazepine.

An interesting effect is in grapefruit juice. It enhances the effect of this class of drugs, so you can not drink juice or grapefruit itself 4 hours before and after taking medication. Be careful. These drugs require that the patient be attentive to the signs of his body.