Possible Interaction: Cardiac Glycosides and Digitalis

“ Digitalis toxicity continues to be a problem for pediatric patients undergoing therapy with cardiac glycosides for heart failure or arrhythmias, as well as in accidental ingestions.”

“This could be hazardous in patients who receive a concomitant cardiac glycoside , especially when no clear‐cut benefit of concomitant digitalis therapy is demonstrated.”

“In the intact patient or experimental animal, cardiac glycosides also exert effects that are mediated through neural pathways, and these can exert important influences on the integrated response to digitalis administration.”

“Treatment of digitalis toxicity should include the withdrawal of the cardiac glycoside and the elimination of all factors enhancing the toxic effects of digitalis.”

“These results suggest that the anti-adrenergic effect of cardiac glycosides may not only be involved in the mechanism of AV conduction disturbances during digitalis intoxication, but may also play a role in slowing the ventricular rate during atrial fibrillation.”