What is digitoxin?

Digitoxin is a compound of Foxglove plant, digitalis purpurea , which is used to treat heart conditions since the 12th century. Although its use was generally replaced by drug digoxin, this natural product has some advantages over its opponent. Both compounds are cardiac glycosides and cause the heart muscle tissue more intense. The advantage of using digitoxin, despite its greater chance of side effects, is that, unlike digoxin, which is eliminated by the kidneys, metabolized and eliminated from the body from the body. In patients who have kidney problems, it is a safer medicine to use.

Foxglove is a toxic plant that is a source of a number of bioactive compounds. In 1785 it was found that the plant extracts could improve the symptoms of congestive heart failure (CHF). With this condition, the heart is weakened and cannot draw hard enough to remove the liquid from the body. The resulting accumulation of fluid results in swelling as swelling. Was foundthat the active principle in Foxglove responsible for CHF treatment is composed digitoxin.

For many years, digitoxin has been used to treat CHF and heart arrhythmias. However, the drug remains in the system for a long time and has many toxic side effects. It can cause nausea, vomiting, anorexia, vision and confusion disorders, and rarely used in modern medicine due to these side effects. The dose must be carefully monitored. Digoxin drugs, cleaned compound from Foxglove tissue, are used much more often for the treatment of these conditions.

The use of digoxin may be a problem in patients who had kidney failure because this medicine is eliminated in the kidneys. In such patients, digitoxin is a good alternative drug. It is one of the many drugs that are detoxified by the liver. So it does not increase the kidneys.

The effect of digitoxin is to increase the concentration of calcium and sodium inside the cells. This causes the heartfall fibersMuscle muscle contrast more strongly. Increased contractions help reduce CHF symptoms and help control arrhythmias. However, high doses of this drug can bring arrhythmias.

both digitoxin and digoxin are cardiac glycosides, a classification of compounds based on their heart -combined effects combined with them by being tied to sugar that can be split. Such compounds can be very toxic and native hunters have been used as arrows. Digitoxin is often used in literature, films and television land as a murderous weapon.