Page 38 - Mended Hearts-HeartGuide

Medicines
125,000 = the number
of people estimated to die
each year from failing to take
medications as directed.
$100 billion = the cost to
the nation resulting from failing Medication Adherence and Safety
to take medications
as directed.
34 Mended Hearts HeartGuide
Get the Most Out of Your Medicines
On your journey to a healthy heart, you may be prescribed medicines and
therapies to help you recover and maintain heart health. Here we discuss the
importance of taking medications as directed, methods to get the most out of
your “meds,” and options for paying for therapies that have proven successful
in helping patients live well after a heart disease diagnosis.
One of your health care team’s roles is to prescribe medicines and therapies
known to help us recover from heart disease and maintain cardiovascular
health. Our role is to take them as directed. But we don’t always play our
part the way we should. This is a nationwide problem with high personal and
societal costs.
Medication adherence—a fancy phrase for taking your pills as directed—can
be just as important to your recovery after a heart event as complying with
diet and exercise guidance. Medications are often expensive but the costs of
hospitalization are far higher to our pocketbooks and our overall health.
When we don’t take our medicines as instructed, we could wind up back in the
hospital. These readmissions are financially costly and put us at risk for more
cardiovascular events in the future.
With expanded insurance options and other assistance, medications for heart
disease are more accessible to patients than ever (see page 38).
Common Heart Medications
Your heart issues are unique to you, and only your health care team knows
which specific medications you need. However, most heart medications fall
under certain broad categories. The table below describes the most common
heart medications and their uses.