Digoxin
LanoxinPubChem CID 2724385 · 3D model
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Blocks a pump on heart muscle cells that helps them contract, so the heart squeezes harder with each beat and slows down at the same time.
How it works
Digoxin blocks a tiny pump on heart cells that normally moves sodium and potassium in and out. Blocking it causes more calcium to build up inside the heart muscle cells, which makes each heartbeat squeeze more forcefully. At the same time, the drug calms down the heart's electrical signaling, which slows the heart rate and the speed at which signals travel through it. That combination — stronger, more efficient beats plus a controlled rate — is why it helps in heart failure and irregular heart rhythms. Because the effective dose is close to the toxic dose, blood levels need to be monitored carefully.
What it’s used for
Used to treat mild to moderate heart failure in adults (usually alongside other heart failure medicines like diuretics), to help children with heart failure pump blood more effectively, and to slow down an overly fast, irregular heartbeat in adults with chronic atrial fibrillation.
- Mechanism
- Na+/K+-ATPase inhibitor (positive inotrope)
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Cardiovascular