Digoxin helps the heart to beat more strongly and regularly.
Digoxin is used to treat conditions such as congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter (types of fast heartbeats).
Digoxin may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.
Important information about digoxin
Do not stop taking digoxin suddenly. Stopping suddenly could make your condition worse. Even if you feel better, you need to keep taking Digoxin to help the heart work properly. Make sure you always have enough digoxin on hand for vacations and holidays.
Ask your doctor to teach you how to monitor your heart rate and at what heart rate you should notify them before taking any more medication.
Before taking digoxin
Before taking Digoxin, tell your doctor if you:
- have kidney disease;
- have thyroid disease, or
- are taking any other heart medication.
You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring while taking digoxin.
Digoxin is in the FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether digoxin will be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take Digoxin without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment. Digoxin passes into breast milk and may harm a nursing infant. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. If you are over 65 years of age, you may be more likely to experience side effects from digoxin. You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring.
How should I take digoxin?
Take digoxin exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
Take each dose with a full glass of water.
Try to take digoxin at the same time every day.
Ask your doctor to teach you how to monitor your heart rate and at what heart rate you should notify them before taking any more medication.
Do not stop taking digoxin suddenly. Stopping suddenly could make your condition worse. Even if you feel better, you may need to keep taking Digoxin to help the heart work properly. Make sure you always have enough digoxin on hand for vacations and holidays.
Your doctor may want to perform blood tests during treatment with digoxin to monitor the amount of medication in your body.
Store Digoxin at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose up to 12 hours late. If more than 12 hours have passed, skip the missed dose and take only the next regularly scheduled dose. Do Not take a double dose of Digoxin.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention.
Symptoms of a digoxin overdose include nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, diarrhea, confusion, seizures, hallucinations, light “halos” around objects, green or yellow vision, fatigue, irregular heartbeats, and abnormally fast or slow heartbeats.
Digoxin side effects
If you experience any of the following serious side effects, stop taking digoxin and seek medical attention or contact your doctor immediately:
- an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives);
- a severe headache, fainting, or extreme drowsiness or dizziness;
- irregular heartbeats;
- slow heartbeats (fewer than 60 beats per minute);
- abnormally fast heartbeats;
- vision changes (e.g., yellow-green or blurred vision);
- hallucinations; or
- abnormal or psychotic behavior.
If you experience any of the following less serious side effects, continue to take digoxin and talk to your doctor if you experience
- decreased appetite and diarrhea;
- unusual tiredness or weakness;
- depression;
- nausea or vomiting;
- drowsiness or dizziness;
- decreased sex drive; or
- enlarged breasts in males.
Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
What other drugs will affect digoxin?
Before taking digoxin, tell your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines:
- another medication for irregular heartbeats, such as quinidine (Quinidex, Quinora, Cardioquin, others), amiodarone (Cordarone), or propafenone (Rythmol);
- an antacid or laxative that contains aluminum, magnesium, or kaolin-pectin such as Maalox, Rolaids, Mylanta, Milk of Magnesia, and others;
- a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), propranolol (Inderal), acebutolol (Sectral), metoprolol (Lopressor), carteolol (Cartrol), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), or nadolol (Corgard);
- a calcium channel blocker such as diltiazem (Cardizem, Dilacor XR, Tiazac), amlodipine (Norvasc), felodipine (Plendil), nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), verapamil (Verelan, Calan, Isoptin, Covera-HS), and others;
- a cancer chemotherapy drug;
- a diuretic (water pill) such as hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril, others), chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Hygroton, Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), torsemide (Demadex), bumetanide (Bumex), ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), triamterene (Dyrenium, Maxzide, Dyazide), amiloride (Midamor), spironolactone (Aldactone), eplerenone (Inspra), and others;
- a steroid medicine such as prednisone (Deltasone), methylprednisolone (Medrol, others), prednisolone (Prelone, Pediapred, others), dexamethasone (Decadron), and others;
- a thyroid medication;
- alprazolam (Xanax);
- amphotericin B (Fungizone);
- cholestyramine (Questran, Prevalite) or colestipol (Colestid);
- erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Eryc, Ery-Tab, PCE, others) or clarithromycin (Biaxin);
- indomethacin (Indocin);
- itraconazole (Sporanox);
- metoclopramide (Reglan);
- rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane);
- sulfasalazine (Azulfidine); or
- tetracycline (Broadspec, Emtet, Panmycin, Sumycin, Tetracap, others).
You may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring if you are taking any of the medicines listed above.
Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with digoxin or affect your condition. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products.
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