Your heart is the most important muscular organ in your body. While we all want ways to keep our ticker healthy and beating properly, sometimes, it’s the little things that can catch us off guard.
So, it may surprise you that certain things designed to protect your health, such as medicines, can actually hurt it. In fact, various common medications can lead to heart failure, where your heart struggles to pump.
While the risks may be minimal for most people, it’s always good to know what’s possible. Just as some people may have severe allergies, some people may suffer severely from various everyday drugs.
Here are six everyday medications that can cause or worsen heart failure.
1. Metformin
A common diabetes drug, metformin is excreted from the body through the kidneys. Unfortunately, for people with kidney issues, their hearts may strain to try to get rid of it.
Remember, your heart is the central pump for all your organs. It provides the blood – your lifestream – wherever needed. If you already have heart issues, diabetes drugs like metformin can affect the way your heart contracts, and may prove toxic.
2. Clonidine
A medicine used to treat high blood pressure and sometimes ADHD, clonidine can alter the way hormones are expressed in your bloodstream. The drug has been linked to various heart-related side effects, including irregular beating, palpitations, and significantly slowed heartbeat.
Your physician may be able to provide you with a different class of medicine for your blood pressure if clonidine isn’t right for you.
RELATED: Heart Attack Vs. Heart Failure: Here’s How To Tell The Difference
3. Ibuprofen
Known as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NAID), Ibuprofen is used widely across the world, for everything from fevers and headaches to joint pain and menstrual cramping.
But did you know this prevalent prescription and OTC drug can damage the heart? While uncommon, Ibuprofen has been linked to high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and disruptions in heart rhythms and contractions. This happens because the drug forces the body to
