Medicines and Products for Coronary Artery Disease

CAD medicines are among the most proven in all of medicine - statins, blood thinners and pressure pills have saved more lives than any surgical advance. They are long-term partners, not short courses, and the rules around them are strict for good reason.

The core medicines (cardiologist-prescribed)

• Statins (atorvastatin, rosuvastatin): lower LDL cholesterol and, more importantly, STABILIZE plaque so it does not rupture. The fear stories are overblown: serious side effects are rare, liver monitoring is routine, and mild muscle aches (report them) usually resolve with dose or molecule changes. For CAD patients, statins are not optional
• Blood thinners - antiplatelets (aspirin, clopidogrel, ticagrelor): prevent clots on plaques and inside stents. After a stent, stopping these on your own can clot the stent - a life-threatening emergency. Bleeding gums, black stools, unusual bruising: report, do not self-stop
• Blood pressure medicines (several families): protect artery walls; many also help the heart's workload
• Beta-blockers: slow the heart, reduce its oxygen demand, prevent repeat attacks - standard after heart attacks
• Diabetes medicines: sugar control is artery protection
• Sorbitrate/nitroglycerin under the tongue: the emergency angina reliever - carry it, know how to use it, and if pain persists after one dose, it is 102/108

Products and devices around the medicines