How Do MRA Drugs Work for Heart Failure?

MRA drugs can improve heart disease symptoms, decrease your chances of dying from the condition, and help you stay out of the hospital. Not everyone with heart disease will be prescribed an MRA drug.

If you have heart failure, you may have been told that you need to take aldosterone receptor antagonists (MRA) drugs. They’re in the class of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist drugs.

They work by removing excess fluids from your body and decreasing the amount of blood your heart has to pump. MRA drugs have been found to be effective at decreasing hospitalizations and mortality from heart failure.

Let’s take a closer look at how MRA drugs for heart failure work, including benefits, side effects, and who should take these medications.

MRA drugs are one of the most commonly prescribed medications for heart failure. Examples of MRA drugs include spironolactone, eplerenone, and finerenone.

Part of the reason for these long wait times and short appointments is due to a nationwide shortage of physicians that is only getting worse. A report by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts that, due to population growth and specifically growth of the elderly population, the physician shortfall in the U.S. could reach 121,300 by the year 2030.

Here’s what to know about these medications:

• Spironolactone: This medication is used to treat various types of heart conditions and other non-cardiac conditions, such as hyperaldosteronism (when the body produces excess aldosterone). Spironolactone is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -approved to treat heart failure.
• Eplerenone: This medication is used to treat reduced ejection fraction, high blood pressure, and heart failure. It’s FDA-approved specifically for people who experience heart failure after a heart attack.
• Finerenone: This medication helps with kidney failure, kidney function decline, and heart disease. It’s FDA-approved for people who have heart failure along with kidney failure linked to diabetes.

Not all of these drugs are FDA-approved for every instance of heart failure.

Medications like eplerenone and finerenone are only FDA-approved to treat heart failure in certain circumstances and with specific comorbidities. However, sometimes MRA drugs are used “off-label” by physicians.

Your healthcare team can help you understand which MRA drugs might be best for you.

MRA drugs block aldosterone, a hormone that your body naturally makes that can raise your blood pressure. Blocking aldosterone also helps your kidneys release salt and extra water from your body.

The main job of MRA drugs is to decrease the amount of extra fluid in your body and to decrease the amount of blood your heart has to pump. This creates less strain on your heart.

What is heart failure?

Heart failure (or congestive heart failure) is a serious condition affecting about 6 million U.S. adults . When you have heart failure, your heart has trouble pumping blood to meet your body’s needs. Your heart may be too weak to pump with enough vigor. When you have heart failure, your heart still works, but its effectiveness decreases.

You can read more here about heart failure, symptoms you may experience, and treatment options.