Is Digoxin Suitable for Long-Term Use? What Are the Potential Side Effects?

Digoxin tablets can be used to treat various types of diseases, such as hypertension, valvular heart disease, congenital heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, severe myocardial ischemia, and active myocarditis. These diseases are not only difficult to treat but also many of them are chronic conditions, which require long-term medication for treatment. Many family members worry that long-term use of digoxin tablets may have adverse effects on patients' bodies. So, is it suitable to take digoxin tablets for a long time? What are the side effects?

Actually, when using this drug to treat heart disease, patients must follow the doctor's advice and instructions carefully. During the medication process, patients should also maintain a positive and optimistic attitude, avoid being affected by stress or negative emotions that may impact heart function. In addition, patients can engage in gradual and progressive exercises, which can strengthen myocardial contractility and enhance the function of the heart pump, thereby reducing the symptoms of heart disease. It is worth noting that digoxin has many side effects, and long-term use can easily lead to digitalis toxicity. Therefore, it is not recommended for long-term oral administration. Instead, it should be used intermittently.

Promoting arrhythmia, poor appetite or nausea, vomiting (stimulating the medullary center), lower abdominal pain, abnormal weakness, and frailty.

Blurred vision or "color vision" such as yellow or green vision, diarrhea, central nervous system reactions such as depression or confusion.

Drowsiness, headache, rash, and urticaria (allergic reaction).

Among the manifestations of digitalis toxicity, promoting arrhythmia is the most important and common, with ventricular premature contractions being the most common, accounting for approximately 33% of adverse reactions related to arrhythmia promotion. Other manifestations include atrioventricular block, paroxysmal or accelerated adult junctional tachycardia, paroxysmal atrial tachycardia with atrioventricular block, ventricular tachycardia, sinus arrest, ventricular fibrillation, etc. In children, arrhythmia is more common than other reactions, but ventricular arrhythmia is less common than in adults. Newborns may have prolongation of the P-R interval.