Digoxin (Lanoxin) has been used in the treatment of congestive heart failure for hundreds of years. It is naturally produced by the foxglove flowering plant. Digoxin stimulates the heart muscle to contract more forcefully. It also has other actions, which are incompletely understood, that improve congestive heart failure symptoms and can prevent further heart failure. However, a large-scale randomized study failed to demonstrate any effect of digoxin on mortality.
Digoxin is useful for many patients with significant congestive heart failure symptoms, even though long-term survival may not be affected. Potential side effects include:
- nausea,
- vomiting,
- heart rhythm disturbances,
- kidney dysfunction, and
- electrolyte abnormalities.
These side effects, however, are generally a result of toxic levels in the blood and can be monitored by blood tests. The dose of digoxin may also need to be adjusted in patients with significant kidney impairment.
The above information thankfully comes from the medicinenet.com at the following link.
