Digoxin
About
Digoxin belongs to a group of medicines called cardiac glycosides used to treat irregular heartbeats and manage the symptoms of heart failure. Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood as effectively as it should. Irregular heartbeat is a condition in which your heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slow.
Digoxin contains digoxin, i.e. cardiac glycosides that help to increase the output force of the heart and reduces the rate of heart contractions. Digoxin works on the heart muscle directly and increases the force with which heart muscle contracts with each heartbeat. Thereby, it makes heart efficient in pumping blood around the body and slows down the rate at which heartbeats.
Take Digoxin as prescribed. Your doctor will recommend you how often you take Digoxin based on your medical condition. Some people may experience common side effects like diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abnormal heartbeat or skin rash. Most of these side effects of Digoxin do not require medical attention and gradually resolve over time. However, if the side effects persist, please consult your doctor.
If you are known to be allergic to Digoxin or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. Pregnant or breastfeeding women are advised to consult a doctor before taking the tablet. Regular blood tests are recommended by your doctor while taking Digoxin to monitor the amount of Digoxin in the bloodstream as its toxicity can lead to several forms of heart rhythm disturbances, vomiting, nausea and visual disturbances. If you have beriberi disease caused due to vitamin B1 deficiency, malabsorption syndrome (unable to absorb minerals from food) or any lung or kidney disease, please inform your doctor before taking Digoxin so that the dose may be adjusted or an alternate medicine may be prescribed accordingly. Digoxin has a very narrow therapeutic index. It means small differences in dose of drugs in the body may lead to life-threatening conditions or serious side effects. This makes its use limited and requires close monitoring by doctors like regular electrocardiogram (ECG). So, try not to self-medicate and suggest Digoxin to others.
Uses of Digoxin
Medicinal Benefits
Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside that is used to treat heart failure and irregular heartbeats. Digoxin increases the force with which heart muscle contracts with each heartbeat and makes heart efficient in pumping blood around the body. Thus, slows down the rate at which heartbeats and makes heart rate normal. Digoxin improves heart failure symptoms such as exercise capacity and reduces the number of hospitalizations.
Directions for Use
Storage
Side Effects of Digoxin
- Feeling confused
- Dizziness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Diarrhoea
- Changes in your vision (including blurred vision and not able to look at bright light)
In-Depth Precautions and Warning
Drug Warnings
If you are known to be allergic to Digoxin or any other medicines, please tell your doctor. Pregnant or breastfeeding women are advised to consult a doctor before taking the tablet. Avoid intake of alcohol with Digoxin as it may increase the risk of drowsiness. Digoxin may cause vision problems in some people. Make sure you are not affected before driving. Regular blood tests are recommended by your doctor while taking Digoxin to monitor the amount of digoxin in blood as digoxin toxicity can lead to several forms of heart rhythm disturbances, vomiting, nausea and visual disturbances. If you have beriberi disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, malabsorption syndrome (unable to absorb minerals from food), thyroid, or any lung or kidney disease, please inform your doctor before taking Digoxin so that the dose may be adjusted or an alternate medicine may be prescribed accordingly. Digoxin has a narrow therapeutic index which makes its use limited and requires close monitoring as small change in dose or blood concentration may lead to severe adverse effects, and overdose may lead to life-threatening reactions.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interaction: Digoxin may have interaction with medicines used to treat irregular heartbeat (adenosine, amiodarone, dolasetron, quinidine), cardiac stimulants (arbutamine), HIV/AIDS drugs (atazanavir, saquinavir), anticancer drugs (ceritinib, lapatinib), antibiotics (clarithromycin), immunosuppressants (fingolimod), antidepressants (flibanserin), antifungal drugs (itraconazole) and calcium supplements (calcium chloride, calcium gluceptate, calcium gluconate).
Drug- Food Interaction: Digoxin may interact with alcohol. Therefore, avoid alcohol intake while taking Digoxin.
Drug-Disease Interaction: If you have beriberi disease caused by vitamin B1 deficiency, malabsorption syndrome (unable to absorb minerals from food), thyroid, or any lung or kidney disease, please inform your doctor before taking Digoxin.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeYou are recommended to avoid consumption of alcohol with Digoxin as it may increase drowsiness and reduce the amount of Digoxin in blood leading to abnormal heart function.
Pregnancy
cautionTablet: It is a Category C pregnancy drug and is to be given to pregnant women only if it is clearly needed and prescribed by a doctor.
Breast Feeding
safe if prescribedTablet: It is safe for breastfeeding mothers if prescribed by a doctor.
Driving
cautionDigoxin may cause dizziness, yellow or blurred vision in some people. So, make sure you are not affected before driving or operating machinery.
Liver
safe if prescribedIf you have any concerns regarding the use of Digoxin in patients with Liver problems, please consult a doctor.
Kidney
cautionTake Digoxin with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may be adjusted by your doctor as required.
Children
cautionPaediatric solution is to be used in children in doses as prescribed by a child specialist.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Maintain a low salt diet and minimize eating processed foods as they contain more sodium. Try to replace salt with spices or herbs to add flavour to the food.
- Do the regular exercise as it helps to lower blood pressure and keeps blood vessels and heart in good condition.
- Quit smoking as smoking increases blood pressure and heart rate.
- Eat balanced and healthy diet which includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, low fat or fat free products.
Special Advise
- Regular blood tests are advised while taking Digoxin to monitor digoxin levels in the blood, potassium levels and kidney functioning.
- Low salt diet and regular exercise are recommended along with Digoxin for effective results.
- Regular electrocardiogram (ECG) should be done to see the effect of Digoxin on your heartbeat.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Heart failure: It is a chronic condition in which the heart is unable to pump blood as effectively as it should. Heart failure may occur due to certain conditions like high blood pressure, swelling or damage of heart muscle, faulty heart valves or narrow arteries in the heart. Symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, tiredness, fast heartbeat and swollen legs.
Arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) is a condition in which your heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slow. Symptoms of irregular heartbeat include chest pain, shortness of breath, fast or slow heartbeat. 60 to 100 beats per minute is generally considered as normal heart rate.
FAQs
It may take several weeks for Digoxin to show its effect. You are recommended to continue taking Digoxin for as long as your doctor prescribes it and do not stop taking Digoxin suddenly as it may worsen your heart problems. However, if you experience any difficulty while taking Digoxin, please consult your doctor.
Yes, Digoxin may cause diarrhoea as a side effect. However, it is not necessary for everyone taking Digoxin to experience this side effect. You are recommended to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. Signs of dehydration include decreased urination or dark, strong-smelling urine. Also, do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without consulting your doctor. If the condition persists or worsen, please consult your doctor.
Yes, Digoxin may cause yellow or blurred vision in some people. Therefore, be cautious before driving or using machinery.
No, you can eat normally. However, a balanced and healthy diet are advised for effective results.
You are not recommended to take more than the prescribed dose of Digoxin as it may cause Digoxin toxicity resulting in symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, tiredness, dizziness or visual disturbances (more than usual yellow-green). However, if you experience any of these symptoms while taking Digoxin, please consult a doctor immediately.
No, you are not recommended to take amiodarone with Digoxin as co-administration of these two medicines may increase the levels of Digoxin in the blood resulting in Digoxin toxicity. However, please consult a doctor before taking other medicines with Digoxin so that the dose may be adjusted appropriately.
You are recommended to avoid taking Digoxin if you have severe heart problems, have a history of Stokes-Adams attacks (abrupt, short-lived unconsciousness caused by a sudden change in a heartbeat), obstructive cardiomyopathy (enlargement of the heart muscle) and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (extra electrical pathway causes fast heartbeat).
