Digoxin Toxicity

Digoxin Toxicity & Potassium

Digoxin is a medicine used to treat certain heart conditions. It can be used to treat congestive heart failure, a condition in which the heart muscle is weak and unable to pump blood effectively to the rest of the body. Digoxin can also be used to treat tachyarrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms that make the heart beat faster than usual. Potassium, an important electrolyte involved in the heart's rhythm, can affect the levels of digoxin in the bloodstream and cause toxicity.

All About Digoxin Toxicity

Digoxin Toxicity Signs

Patients taking digoxin need to have their blood levels checked frequently to monitor how much of the drug is staying in their systems. If too much digoxin builds up in the blood, a condition known as digoxin toxicity may occur.

Digoxin Toxicity Symptoms

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Digoxin toxicity can be caused by high levels of the drug in the blood or a decreased tolerance to the drug. Digoxin toxicity can cause death and should be reported to the d...

What Are the Treatments for Digoxin Toxicity?

Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside that is used to treat heart failure and atrial fibrillation. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), digoxin toxicity can be fatal and treatment should be initiated immediately once ...

Early Signs of Digoxin Toxicity

Digoxin is used to treat congestive heart failure and irregular heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation. Patients taking digoxin are monitored to detect early signs of digoxin toxicity. Although a widely used and highly effec...

Indications of Digoxin Toxicity

Many factors can cause digoxin to rise to toxic levels, the most common being loss of potassium through vomiting, diarrhea or taking a diuretic (water pill) that strips potassium from the bloodstream. If you take digoxin, you s...

Digoxin Toxicity Effects

This drug aids in improving cardiovascular blood flow and stabilizing heart rate. Toxicity refers to the condition where the amount of digoxin in the blood or the serum digoxin level is higher than the range of values identifie...

Signs of Digoxin Toxicity

Signs of digoxin toxicity can be subtle. Left unchecked, they can become severe and even life threatening. Digitalis, another name for digoxin, is derived from the foxglove plant. It is used today to treat congestive heart fail...