What Is Digoxin Used For?

Digoxin is a generic prescription medication from the class of drugs known as digitalis glycosides. Doctors prescribe digoxin for the treatment of certain heart problems.
  1. Function

    • Digoxin works by increasing the amount of sodium in your cells. This in turn increases the amount of calcium in your heart muscle cells, which helps control your heart rhythm.

    Use

    • Doctors prescribe digoxin for the treatment of congestive heart failure or the inability of your heart to pump enough blood through your body. Digoxin also benefits patients with atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm that affects the two upper chambers of your heart.

    Types

    • Digoxin is available in both injectable and oral forms.

    Features

    • Doctors typically prescribe an oral diuretic and an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor medication along with digoxin. The dosage of digoxin varies from patient to patient based upon their age, body weight, kidney function and general health, explains the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

    Considerations

    • Because its effects upon fetal development are unknown, doctors restrict the use of digoxin in pregnant women to cases where there is no safe alternative. If you have a history of low blood calcium or oxygen, thyroid disease, heart attack, restrictive cardiomyopathy, sick sinus syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, hyperkalemia, kidney disease or types of arrhythmia other than atrial fibrillation, it may not be safe for you to take digoxin, warns the Mayo Clinic.

Heart Disease - Related Articles