Heart Attack

12. What medicines are used to treat people who have had or are having a heart attack?

There are many medicines that are used to treat a heart attack.

Clot-busters or thrombolytic drugs dissolve blood clots that are blocking blood flow to the heart.
Beta blockers decrease the workload on your heart by slowing your heart rate.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors lower your blood pressure and reduce the strain on your heart.
Nitrates, such as nitroglycerin relax blood vessels and relieve chest pain.
Anticoagulants thin the blood and prevent clots from forming in your arteries.
Antiplatelet medications, such as aspirin and clopidogrel, stop platelets from clumping together to form clots. These medications are given to people who have had a heart attack, have angina, or have had angioplasty.

Doctors may also prescribe medicines to relieve pain and anxiety, or to treat irregular heart rhythms which often occur during a heart attack.