Citrus Memorial Hospital

Anti-Platelet Agents
Anti-platelet agents are drugs that play a role in keeping platelets in your blood from sticking together and forming clots, which helps reduce your risk of heart attack or stroke.

Anti-Coagulants
Anti-coagulants reduce the ability of blood to clot. Doctors often prescribe these drugs for their patients with atrial fibrillation or deep vein thrombosis.

ACE Inhibitors and Angiotensis II Receptor Blockers
ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) are drugs that lower high blood pressure.

Statins
Statins lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.

Exercise
Exercise helps raise good cholesterol. It also dilates your arteries, which in turn helps lower your blood pressure. Once your doctor says you can exercise, try to do so for at least 30 minutes three to four times per week.

Diuretics
Diuretics, or water pills, reduce the volume of blood in the body and thereby lower high blood pressure.

Diet
If you diet and take medication, you may keep further buildup of plaque from forming in your arteries. A low-fat, low-cholesterol diet can help you reach and stay at your ideal weight.

The American Heart Association recommends that you get less than 30% of your daily calories from fat, and less than 7% from saturated fat. Try to eat less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day and eat high fiber foods such as oatmeal, dried beans and fruits to help lower cholesterol.

Smoking Cessation
Smoking causes arteries to narrow, makes blood more likely to clot, and increases blood pressure. These are all risk factors for stroke.

If you smoke now and don’t stop you are five times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, so talk to your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy. When you quit, your risk can go down within a year.