Heart failure medicine: Aldosterone antagonists

An aldosterone antagonist may help you live longer and reduce your hospital stays.

With heart failure, your body makes too much of the stress hormone aldosterone. This makes your kidneys retain more sodium and water so your symptoms of heart failure may be worse than if you didn't take this medicine. An aldosterone antagonist blocks the effects of this hormone.

Side effects

Side effects of aldosterone antagonists include:

increased potassium levels
enlarged breasts or tenderness in men and women

When to call your health care provider

If you have any of the any of the side effects listed above while taking an aldosterone antagonists, tell your health care provider.