What drug class is ivabradine in?
Ivabradine is a prescription medicine in the “heart rate–lowering” class. It is a selective inhibitor of the funny current (If) in the sinoatrial (SA) node of the heart, which slows the heart rate without directly lowering blood pressure in the same way as many other rate-slowing drugs.
How does ivabradine work (If current/SA node)?
Ivabradine blocks HCN channels that carry the If (funny) current in SA node cells. By reducing If activity, it decreases the pacemaker firing rate, which lowers resting and exertional heart rate.
What conditions is ivabradine typically used for?
Ivabradine is used for heart-rate control in certain heart conditions where lowering heart rate improves outcomes, most commonly chronic heart failure in appropriate patients with elevated heart rates. It may also be used for stable angina to help control heart rate when heart rate needs to be reduced.
What it’s often compared with (beta blockers, calcium channel blockers)?
Ivabradine is often discussed alongside heart-rate–lowering therapies because its main effect is lowering heart rate:
- Beta blockers also reduce heart rate but work via adrenergic pathways.
- Non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (like verapamil/diltiazem) lower heart rate through different mechanisms than ivabradine.
Because ivabradine acts specifically on the SA node If current, it can be considered when beta blockers are not tolerated or when additional heart-rate reduction is needed.
Is ivabradine a beta blocker or a calcium channel blocker?
No. Ivabradine is not a beta blocker and not a calcium channel blocker. It is an If (HCN channel) inhibitor that selectively targets SA node pacemaker activity.
Sources
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