Digoxin is a medication often used to treat atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder that causes the heart to beat rapidly and irregularly. Digoxin lowers the heart rate and helps bring it under control. While digoxin can slow the heart rate, it cannot return it to normal.
Full Answer
What is digoxin used for?
Digoxin is derived from the leaves of a digitalis plant. Digoxin helps make the heart beat stronger and with a more regular rhythm. Digoxin is used to treat heart failure. Digoxin is also used to treat atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder of the atria (the upper chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow into the heart).
What is the pathophysiology of digoxin toxicity?
Possibly acute or chronic Overview-Pathophysiology Digoxin inhibits the sodium-potassium pump in myocytes, which results in an increase in intracellular sodium and a decrease in the transmembrane sodium gradient.
What does digoxin do to the heart?
Digoxin helps make the heart beat stronger and with a more regular rhythm. ... Digoxin is also used to treat atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder of the atria (the upper chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow into the heart).
Can digoxin be used for atrial fibrillation?
Digoxin is also used to treat atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder of the atria (the upper chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow into the heart). ... You should not use digoxin if you have ventricular fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder of the ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow out of the heart).
What is digoxin treatment used for?
Digoxin: a medicine used to treat irregular heartbeats - NHS.
What is the common indication of digoxin use?
Digoxin is indicated in the following conditions: 1) For the treatment of mild to moderate heart failure in adult patients. 2) To increase myocardial contraction in children diagnosed with heart failure. 3) To maintain control ventricular rate in adult patients diagnosed with chronic atrial fibrillation.
What is the main action of digoxin?
Mechanism of action Digoxin binds to and inhibits the sodium/potassium-ATPase (sodium pump) within the plasma membrane of cardiac myocytes. This inhibition increases the intracellular sodium content which in turn increases the intracellular calcium content which leads to increased cardiac contractility.
What diagnosis is the main indication for digoxin therapy?
Digoxin is indicated for the treatment of patients with heart failure due to systolic dysfunction and for reduction of the ventricular response in patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter.
When is digoxin given?
You can take digoxin with or without food, but it's best to take it at the same time each day. Most people take it in the morning after breakfast. You'll usually take it once a day.
What is digoxin used for in heart failure?
Digoxin, also called digitalis, helps an injured or weakened heart pump more efficiently. It strengthens the force of the heart muscle's contractions, helps restore a normal, steady heart rhythm, and improves blood circulation. Digoxin is one of several medications used to treat the symptoms of heart failure.
Is digoxin used for myocardial infarction?
Digoxin has been used for centuries to treat systolic congestive heart failure, AF and after myocardial infarctions.
Is digoxin a beta blocker?
Digoxin and metoprolol belong to different drug classes. Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside and metoprolol is a beta-blocker.
How does digoxin control heart rate?
Digoxin lowers the heart rate by enhancing vagal tone, which leads to slowing of sinoatrial and atrioventricular nodal conduction and thereby a reduction in heart rate.
What type of medication is digoxin?
Digoxin belongs to the class of medicines called digitalis glycosides. It is used to improve the strength and efficiency of the heart, or to control the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat. This leads to better blood circulation and reduced swelling of the hands and ankles in patients with heart problems.
Why is digoxin test performed?
This test measures the amount of the heart medicine digoxin in your blood. Digoxin is a medicine that helps your heart pump better when you have an irregular or rapid heartbeat. This heartbeat is often caused by atrial fibrillation. Digoxin may also be given to you if you have congestive heart failure (CHF).
Is digoxin an antiarrhythmic?
Digoxin is another example of a medicine that can be used as an antiarrhythmic, although it is not included in the above categories. Because each class of medicine works in a slightly different way, there is no one medicine to treat every kind of arrhythmia.
Before Taking This Medicine
You should not use digoxin if you are allergic to it, or if you have ventricular fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder of the ventricles, or lower...
How Should I Take Digoxin?
Take digoxin exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medicine in larger or smaller...
What Happens If I Miss A Dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if your next dose is less than 12 hours away. Do not take extra medicine to make...
What Happens If I Overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of digoxin can be fatal.
What Should I Avoid While Taking Digoxin?
Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise, in hot weather, or by not drinking enough fluids. Digoxin overdose can occur more easily i...
Digoxin Dosing Information
Usual Adult Dose of Digoxin for Congestive Heart Failure:Rapid Digitalization with a Loading Dose:Peak digoxin body stores of 8 to 12 mcg/kg genera...
What Other Drugs Will Affect Digoxin?
Other drugs may interact with digoxin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Tell each of your heal...
Why should you monitor digoxin after treatment?
Monitoring should continue after treatment because of the small risk of rebound toxicity. Restarting therapy should take into account the indication for digoxin and any reasons why the concentration became toxic. Key words: arrhythmia, digoxin, digoxin-specific antibody fragments. Introduction.
When to use digoxin specific antibody fragments?
Digoxin-specific antibody fragments are used when there is a risk of a life-threatening arrhythmia.
How long does it take for digoxin to be cleared?
This should be delayed until all the digoxin-specific antibody fragments have been cleared, which will take up to a week, but far longer in the presence of renal dysfunction.18,22.
How much digoxin is in an ampoule?
Each ampoule contains 40 mg of powdered digoxin-specific antibody and is reconstituted with 4 mL of water. This can be given as a slow push in cardiac arrest, but otherwise the total dose is diluted further with normal saline and infused over 30 minutes.
Can digoxin cause arrhythmias?
It can also trigger fatal arrhythmias. There is a range of indications for using digoxin-specific antibody fragments. The amount ingested and serum digoxin concentration help to determine the dose required, but are not essential. Digoxin-specific antibody fragments are safe and effective in severe toxicity.
Can digoxin be overdosed?
This article has been cited byother articles in PMC. Summary. Digoxin toxicity can emerge during long-term therapy as well as after an overdose. It can occur even when the serum digoxin concentration is within the therapeutic range.
Is there evidence for digoxin toxicity?
There are no evidence-based guidelines for the management of mild to moderate toxicity so there is a wide variation in treatment.13Severe toxicity requires hospital admission and consideration of the need for digoxin-specific antibody fragments.
What is digoxin used for?
Digoxin is also used to treat atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder of the atria (the upper chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow into the heart).
How long does digoxin take to work?
Initial: 400 to 600 mcg of digoxin capsules generally produces a detectable effect in 0.5 to 2 hours with a maximal effect in 2 to 6 hours. Additional doses of 100 to 300 mcg may be given cautiously at 6 to 8 hour intervals until clinical evidence of an adequate effect is noted.
What are the risks of taking digoxin?
To make sure digoxin is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have ever had: 1 a serious heart condition such as "sick sinus syndrome" or "AV block" (unless you have a pacemaker ); 2 a heart attack; 3 slow heartbeats that have caused you to faint; 4 Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (sudden fast heartbeats); 5 kidney disease; 6 an electrolyte imbalance (such as low levels of calcium, potassium, or magnesium in your blood); 7 a thyroid disorder; or 8 if you have recently been sick with vomiting or diarrhea.
What are the side effects of digoxin?
Common digoxin side effects may include: nausea, diarrhea; feeling weak or dizzy; headache, weakness, anxiety, depression; or. rash. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Can you take digoxin if you are allergic to it?
You should not use digoxin if you are allergic to it, or if you have ventricular fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder of the ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart that allow blood to flow out of the heart).
Can you take digoxin and other drugs at the same time?
Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective. Many drugs can interact with digoxin.
Can digoxin cause heart failure?
However, having heart failure or atrial fibrillation during pregnancy may cause complications such as premature birth or low birth weight, or risk of death in both mother and baby. The benefit of treating heart problems with digoxin may outweigh any risks to the baby.
