Digoxin’s Interactions with Various Drugs and A Case Report

Abstract

Digoxin is a drug commonly used to achieve rate control in heart failure and atrial fibrillation with some form of arrhythmia. It shows a positive inotropic effect by inhibiting the Na + / K + ATPase pump in the myocardial cell membrane. Since digoxin is a drug with a narrow therapeutic range, the therapeutic dose range should be monitored and the individual dose regimen should be established, taking care of plasma concentrations. Factors such as patient's age, renal dysfunction, abnormal electrolyte values, drug-drug or drug-plant interactions increase the risk of intoxication. Patients may present with nausea and vomiting in digoxin intoxication and may present with ventricular arrhythmias with fatal rhythm disorders. Although digoxin should be discontinued as treatment, accompanying electrolyte imbalances should be treated. In patients with malignant arrhythmias, digoxin-specific antibodies should be considered in treatment. In this review, various drug-drug interactions that are frequently observed and easily prevented in patients taking digoxin are discussed with a case report.