What conditions is digoxin used to treat?
Digoxin (a cardiac medicine) is used to treat heart rhythm and heart pump problems, most commonly:
- Heart failure, to help improve symptoms and reduce hospitalizations in some patients [1]
- Certain abnormal heart rhythms, especially atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, to help slow the heart rate [1]
How does digoxin work in the body?
Digoxin helps the heart contract more strongly and slows electrical signals through the heart’s atrioventricular (AV) node. That combination can improve symptoms in heart failure and reduce the ventricular rate in some fast irregular rhythms like atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter [1].
Why do doctors choose digoxin instead of other heart medicines?
Digoxin is often considered when a patient needs:
- Help controlling heart rate in atrial fibrillation/atrial flutter, particularly when other rate-control options aren’t enough or aren’t suitable [1]
- Symptom relief in heart failure for selected patients [1]
What should patients know before taking digoxin?
Digoxin has a relatively narrow safety margin, so clinicians often monitor levels and kidney function because higher levels raise the risk of toxicity. Patients typically need dosing that fits their overall health, especially kidney function [1].
Source
[1] https://www.drugs.com/digoxin.html