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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
What is an ARNI drug?ARNI, or an angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor, is made up of two drugs put together to treat heart failure. It contains an ARB (angiotensin II receptor blocker) and a neprilysin inhibitor.Sacubitril/valsartan is the only ARNI drug available now. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in 2015.How ARNI worksValsartan is the ARB part of an ARNI drug. It lowers your blood pressure by keeping your blood vessels from constricting.Sacubitril is the neprilysin inhibitor. Inhibiting or limiting neprilysin allows your body to:Get rid of more sodium (salt).Open your blood vessels wider.Make more pee.When your body gets more sodium (salt) out of your blood, your blood pressure comes down. This makes it easier for your heart to push blood out to your cells.Who can take an ARNI medication?You can take an ARNI drug if you just got a diagnosis of heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (a measure of your heart’s pumping function) of 40% or less. A normal ejection fraction is 55% to 65%.Also, you can switch to an ARNI drug if you were taking an ACE inhibitor or ARB for heart failure.However, if you’re switching from an ACE inhibitor to an ARNI medication, you’ll need to wait 36 hours between stopping one and starting the other. This prevents swelling that could happen under your skin (angioedema).What dose of ARNI do I take?Most people start with a dose of 49/51 mg (milligrams) sacubitril/valsartan twice a day. After the first two to four weeks, they gradually increase their dose to 97/103 mg sacubitril/valsartan twice a day. Your provider will give you guidance in figuring out your doses.If your kidneys aren’t working well or you have low blood pressure, you may take a dose of 24/26 mg sacubitril/valsartan. Also, people who’ve already been taking a small dose of an ACE inhibitor or ARB may take this smaller dose of an ARNI medication instead.Why is ARNI used?Many people start taking an ARNI drug because they want to stop taking an ACE inhibitor that makes them cough. Also, an ARNI medication helps your left ventricle work better. This is important because your left ventricle pumps oxygen-rich blood to your whole body.One study showed that after taking ARNI medication for a year, people increased their left ventricle’s ejection fraction from 28.2% to 37.8%.Who shouldn’t take ARNI drugs?You shouldn’t take ARNI drugs if you:Got angioedema (facial swelling) when you took an ACE inhibitor or ARB drug.Are pregnant or nursing.Are still taking an ACE inhibitor or ARB drug.Have a serious liver problem.Are taking aliskiren.Are overly sensitive to ARBs or ARNIs.What does ARNI treat?ARNI drugs treat heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (Stage C). During Stage C of heart failure, you have structural heart disease and heart failure symptoms.Also, ARNI medication can help people who have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (normal pumping function but your heart is stiff and can’t hold as much blood). This is an ejection fraction of 50% or higher.How common are ARNI drugs?Only about 10% of the more
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