Heart Attack - Medications to Go Home With

Jim was released from the hospital on Friday morning (1/11/08). He was given these medicines to take for the rest of his life (except for the Plavix which he'll take for 1 year):

• Aspirin ec tbec 325 mg (1 tab by mouth daily)
• Plavix tabs 75 mg (1 by mouth once daily)-the Plavix is taken for 1 year, so that the stent in Jim's heart doesn't form clots-after 1 year the stent will be coated with Jim's own tissues so the Plavix can be discontinued at that time
• Atenolol tabs 25 mg (1 by mouth once daily)-this is a beta blocker
• Lisinopril 5 mg tabs (1 tab by mouth once daily)-this is to lower blood pressure-Jim doesn't have high blood pressure, but he needs to keep his blood pressure lower than the general population now that he's had a heart attack
• Zocor tabs 40 mg (simvastatin)-1 by mouth once daily-to lower cholesterol
• Nitroglycerin subl 0.4 mg-1 under your tongue every 5 minutes times 3-nitroglycerin is to be taken as needed, for angina

After we returned home to Florida Jim's cardiologist did change 2 of these medications, but more on that later.

vadkins