Congestive Heart Failure: A Guide to Treatment With the Use of Natrecor
Natrecor, a product of Scios, was designed in the treatment of congestive heart failure and works as a B-peptide injection. Natrecor impacts and improves congestive heart failure by lowering blood pressure with a relaxtion and enlargment of blood vessels leading to an improvement in shortness of breath. Improvement is usually progressive but can be seen in as little as two to three treatments without requiring hospital admission.
Dosing of Natrecor injections, in adults, is based on weight and health status. Your physician will determine the appropriate dosing following a physical examination. Although it is not required that it be administered in the hospital, it is recommended that it be administered in an environment where blood pressure can be continuously monitored. Due to Natrecor’s impact on blood vessel enlargement, blood pressure must be closely monitored following administration.
Natrecor, in the treatment of congestive heart failure, does not come without side effects. However, most side effects will dissipate as the treatment progresses. Common side effects may include nausea, insomnia, headache and abdominal pain. Some patients may develop headache as a more common side effect than any other. While these side effects are possible, it is important to remember these may be the same symptoms brought on by the congestive heart failure itself.
As with most medications, there are contraindications to the treatment use of Natrecor. Patients who have taken other blood pressure regulating medications should not take Natrecor unless directed and monitored by your physician. Additionally, Natrecor is classified as a Category C drug for pregnancy meaning it is unknown what impact the drug may have on a fetus. As a result, Natrecor should only be used when no other alternate form of treatment is available. Patients with cardiac arrythmias or ventricular fibrillation or any other cardiac condition, kidney disease or valvular stenosis should avoid the use of Natrecor as the treatment may disguise the symptoms of a cardiac condition or other life threatening health condition and, therefore, prevent a patient from seeking appropriate cardiac care.
As with any disease, prevention is the key to maintaining good health. Understanding the conditions which precipitate congestive heart failure may be your best key for prevention. Because the condition is a result of deterioration of the heart and blood vessels, monitoring toxic exposure, blood pressure and cardiac care is important. When overcome by a sensation of suffocation or significant shortness of breath with minimal activity, consult your physician for more information and testing for congestive heart failure. If positively diagnosed, discuss treatment options with your physician including the use of Natrecor injections.
