Heart

medication 101 How doctors prescribe meds for your heart health

“When it comes to your heart, medications are prescribed based on your current heart health as well as your risk for future heart complications,” says Benjamin Swanson, M.D., a cardiologist at Henry Ford Medical Center – Plymouth.

“There is a spectrum of need—a patient could be on medication as a preventative measure

Potential Heart Condition

(such as chest pain).

• You are healthy but want to protect your heart from heart problems in the future.

Medication after a heart attack

Your heart is at a weaker state and needs to be protected from possible damage. The medications you are prescribed allows

• ACE inhibitors: Help improve recovery of the heart muscle.

Treating cardiovascular disease

When you have blockages in your arteries, many of the same medications that are used to treat someone following a heart attack are used to treat cardiovascular disease.

Managing cardiac chest pain

If you are experiencing symptoms such as angina (chest pain), this could be a sign of possible blockages in the heart. Medications may include: to avoid a possible heart diagnosis while a different patient could be on medication to help them manage symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease after having a heart attack.”

• As-needed nitroglycerin: Reduces chest pain by relaxing blood vessels around the heart while increasing oxygen-rich blood flow.

Prescribing heart medication

Your cardiologist might recommend medication for your heart for several reasons, including:

• You have a history of heart problems or are recovering from a cardiac episode.

• You have a diagnosed heart condition.

• You are experiencing symptoms related to a the heart muscle to heal without risk of another heart attack or stroke. These may include:

• High-intensity statin: Prescribed to make sure your cholesterol levels are staying low.

• Daily aspirin therapy: Helps reduce inflammation of the heart muscles and prevents the development of blood clots.

• Platelet blockers: Block blood clot formation in the arteries.

• Beta blockers: Help lower blood pressure to prevent future heart attacks.

• Long-acting nitroglycerin: Prescribed if pain is frequent enough and a lower dose isn’t effective anymore.

• Calcium channel blocker: Prevents calcium from entering the heart, allowing the heart muscles to relax.

• Beta blockers: Slows the heart rate to reduce the frequentness of chest pain.

Factors that influence your medications

“There are instances when your heart medication may need to be changed or adjusted,” Dr. Swanson says. “Taking certain medications over time can sometimes make that dosage more or less effective.”

Some other factors that could impact dosage or the type of medication you are prescribed include:

• Having had heart surgery or a stent put in

• Significant changes in your blood pressure or cholesterols levels

• Increase in your risk for a heart condition or the diagnosis of a heart condition

• Development of new or worsening symptoms or side effects

• Age

• Weight

• Diet

• Gender or genetic-based risk factors

• Other medications you are taking

If you need to change the dose of your medication, talk with your doctor first. Depending on your condition and why you need to change dosage, they can advise on if you should wait until your next appointment to be seen again.

Henry Ford Medical Center – Plymouth is located at the corner of Ann Arbor Road and N. Haggerty. To make an appointment, call (734) 928-1600, or visit henryford.com/ plymouth.

Heart medication for low to no risk cases

“When a patient comes in with no history of heart problems, they are often hoping to gauge their heart health and check for any cardiac risk factors,” Dr. Swanson says. “In these cases, we start by looking at blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as taking note of the patient’s age, overall health and family medical history.”

If you are concerned about your heart health, talk with your primary care providers about seeing a heart expert. This is especially important if you have a family history (in a first-degree relative such as a parent, sibling or child) of heart complications. A cardiologist can help evaluate your potential risk and determine if starting medication for your heart health is right for you.

Want to get started? Take our 5-minute quiz at henryford.com/ heartquiz to find out how healthy your heart is.

Chili’in the Ville

The Northville Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is bringing Chili’in the Ville back for its second year from 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25. The event will pit members of the Northville Township and City of Northville fire departments to see who can make up the best chili – last year the township won. Various downtown restaurants will also be serving their own chili and vying for the best in town. Browndog Barlor is looking to retain its title.

The event will also feature a number of business-sponsored ice sculptures in the shape of zoo animals this year, as the DDA has partnered with Clear Cut Ice to create the family-friendly ice displays. Tickets are available to purchase in sets of eight for $10. Each ticket provides a sample-size portion of chili from participating businesses. To purchase tickets, visit Mod Market at 150 Mary Alexander Court. For more information about the event, visit the DDA’s website at www.downtownnorthville.com.

National Champs!

The Northville high school varsity dance team, lead by head coach Sarah Benish and assistant coach Maggie Reinhardt, returned home to Northville as national champions after the national high school dance team championships in Orlando, Florida.

Some 75 teams from across the country competed over the course of three days, beginning on Feb. 3. Northville earned the top score in the preliminary round, and advanced straight to the final round, which included 22 teams. Benish said the team’s final routine on Feb. 5 was “breathtaking, emotional, and executed perfectly.” When they were announced the winners in the small varsity jazz division, the team was jubilant.

“There’s no better feeling than knowing all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears these athletes put in all season was greatly rewarded,” Benish said. “We could not be more proud of the success of this program. We are so thankful for all the people that believed in this team and helped us get to where we are today.”