Which medication should Ben be prescribed? Drag the medicines that Ben should be taking onto the prescription pad and see what common side effects are associated with them.
- Antiplatelets (Correct) Yes, these drugs are recommended in secondary prevention management. They reduce the clotting effect.. Side effects include: Gastro-intestinal irritation, & bronchospasm (E.g. Clopidrogel, Aspirin)
- Statins (Correct) Yes, these drugs are recommended in secondary prevention management . They lower harmful LDL cholesterol and reduces the risk of further cardiovascular events and total mortality. Side Effects include: Myalgia (muscle pain) is commonly reported and should always be assessed further in relation to muscle toxicity. Others include gastro-intestinal disturbance, sleep disturbances, headache and dizziness.
- Beta blockers (Correct) Yes, these drugs are recommended in secondary prevention management. They reduce blood pressure, lower the heart rate and ease workload of the heart. Side Effects include: Gastro-intestinal disturbances, bradycardia, hypotension, fatigue. (**They can cause erectile dysfunction and this should be considered if timings coincide with commencement of therapy)
- GTN spray (Correct) Yes, these drugs are recommended in secondary prevention management. They relax and vasodilates blood vessels, lowers blood pressure and reduces the workload of the heart. This is a symptomatic short term treatment and patient should always be given chest pain advice accompanying this prescription. Side Effects include: throbbing headache (due to vasodilatory effect), postural hypotension with or without dizziness.
- Ace inhibitor (Wrong) Lisinopril Not in Bens case because he is not hypertensive and he has not had acute coronary syndrome, HF or stroke. Read more about ACE Inhibitors in the modules 4, 5 and 6. Side Effects include: Hypotension with or without dizziness, and a dry irritating cough. If any patient complains of swelling in the throat or mouth after commencing ACE inhibitors it should be treated as an emergency situation as this may be angio-oedema which can be life threatening.
- Calcium Channel Blocker (Wrong) Not in Bens case because he does not have hypertension. They relax blood vessels to reduce BP and decrease workload of the heart. There are different types of calcium channel blockers but common include Amlodipine. Side effects include headache, abdominal pain, fatigue and oedema.
Pulse point
For a full range of side effects refer to: British National Formulary
You should always consider the timing of a reported side effect in relation to the commencement of a new medication.
For further information on this and reporting mechanisms, consult: Yellow Card – Helping to make medicines safer.
For further information on secondary prevention medication see Modules 4, 5 and 6.
Page last reviewed: 05 Jun 2020
