Cardiac Medicines - General Information

Medicines
There are several classes of medicines that are commonly used to treat and/or prevent the consequences of heart disease.  The medicines and the doses of any medicines will be selected to meet the needs of the individual patient.  This will involve taking into account any other medical conditions that you may have and also other medicines prescribed for you. 
A single medicine will have two names:

• The official (generic) name of the medicine
• The manufacturer’s trade name for the medicine

Patient Information Leaflets (PILs)
Each time a medicine is prescribed for you this will be supplied with a manufacturer’s patient information leaflet.  Further copies of this information can be found at:
www.emc.medicines.org.uk  (Information for professionals and for patients)
www.xpil.medicines.org.uk. (Information for patients)

Patients who require information in Braille or an audio version should contact the medicines information line for the Royal National Institute for the Blind on freephone 0800 1985000

Medicines for the Heart
The information given below briefly outlines some of the more commonly prescribed groups of medicines used in the management of heart conditions. Further details can been found in the British Heart Foundation booklet

www.bhf.org.uk/living_with_heart_conditions/treatment/medicines_for_the _heart.aspx

If you have any queries or concerns about your medication contact:

• your General Practitioner (GP) or hospital doctor
• your community pharmacist (where you get your prescriptions dispensed)
• the Medicines Information pharmacy helpline (for patients who have recently been a hospital in-patient)
• the Cardiac Pharmacist on 01273 696955 ex 4078

Medicines in pregnany and breastfeeding
If you pregnant or intend to be pregnant, or if you are breast feeding always consult your doctor as your medicines may need to be altered
Useful websites for further information include

The British Heart Foundation: www.bhf.org.uk
Patient information  www.cks.library.nhs.uk/patient_information
Medication leaflets:  www.patient.co.uk
National Institute of Clincial Excellence publications:  www.nice.org.uk
Reporting by patients to the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority on the adverse effects (side-effects) of a medicine
www.mhra.gov.uk/home/idcplg?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=755

When coming into hospital
If possible please bring your current medication with you (or alternatively an accurate list of your medications). This will ensure that the doctors, nurses and pharmacists looking after you are aware of all of the medicines (and their dosages) that you are taking. Please highlight to the staff any allergies or side-effects you have to any medication. In addition please inform us of any herbal, homeopathic or over the counter medicines that you use.

This medication may be used during your hospital stay and will be returned to you on hospital discharge.
If you no longer require any of your medication we can, with your permission, safely dispose of it for you.

During your hospital stay
Please discuss with your doctors, nurses or pharmacist any problems you have taking your medication or if you
a) would like further information on your medication
b) would like a medication record card detailing the medicines that you take with advice on how and when to take them
c) you have any problems obtaining your medications

On discharge from hospital
You will be discharged with a supply of any medication that you need.
For those medications you were taking prior to admission this may/may not be necessary depending on your remaining supplies.
For new medications a supply for 1 month will be made and you will be asked to get further supples from your GP (we will write to your GP and inform them of any changes we have made)

If you obtain your medication at home in a blister pack please inform the nurse or pharmacist as it will take us longer to get your medication ready for discharge and we may need to liaise with the community pharmacy where you usually obtain your medication. For blister pack patients in general a maximum of one weeks supply will be made by the hospital pharmacy.