Examples
| Brand Name | Chemical Name |
| Apresazide [contains a diuretic], Apresoline | hydralazine |
| Isordil, Sorbitrate | isosorbide dinitrate |
| BiDil | isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine hydrochloride |
| Imdur, ISMO | isosorbide mononitrate |
| nitroglycerin |
Nitrates
| Brand Name | Chemical Name |
| Apresazide [contains a diuretic], Apresoline | hydralazine |
| Isordil, Sorbitrate | isosorbide dinitrate |
| BiDil | isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine hydrochloride |
| Imdur, ISMO | isosorbide mononitrate |
| nitroglycerin |
How It Works
Vasodilators work on different substances in the body to help widen (dilate) blood vessels. It is easier for the heart to pump blood if the blood vessels are widened.
Why It Is Used
Vasodilators are often combined with other medicines to treat heart failure. Certain vasodilators may be used as an alternative to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors if ACE inhibitors cannot be tolerated.
How Well It Works
When taken with other medicines to treat heart failure, vasodilators may have some effect in reducing premature death rates.1
Side Effects
The most common side effect is low blood pressure, which may cause symptoms of dizziness, weakness, or fainting. People who have low blood pressure when they start therapy will generally be started with a low dose and may need close monitoring to avoid reducing blood pressure too much.
Long-term use of these medicines is associated with fluid retention (with hydralazine) and loss of effectiveness (development of tolerance) with nitrates. For these reasons, their use may be limited.
Nitrates may cause headaches.
People who are taking nitrates should never use sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra) because of the risk of developing very low blood pressure, which can lead to death.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
Vasodilator drugs seldom are used alone to treat heart failure.
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Credits
| Author | Robin Parks, MS |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Associate Editor | Terrina Vail |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology |
| Last Updated | September 1, 2006 |
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