Peripheral Arterial Disease of the Legs

Medications

Medicines are sometimes used to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Cholesterol-lowering medicines may slow atherosclerosis, the main cause of PAD. You may need additional medicines if you have high blood pressure or diabetes. Both of these conditions can speed up the development of PAD.

Medicines to control pain may also be used when treating PAD. In very rare cases, doctors use anticoagulants, such as warfarin (Coumadin, for example), to help prevent blood clots.

Medication Choices

Medicines that may be used to treat peripheral arterial disease (PAD) include:

• Pentoxifylline (Trental) to treat leg pain that comes on with activity (intermittent claudication). This medicine may cause serious side effects.
• ASA and other antiplatelet medicines to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Statins, to lower cholesterol levels. Lowering cholesterol levels may help prevent the progression of PAD. Studies show that people with intermittent claudication report less leg pain and can walk farther when cholesterol levels are lowered with statins.^{5, 6} For more information on cholesterol-lowering drugs, see to the topic High Cholesterol.
• Medicines to control high blood pressure. For more information on drug treatment for high blood pressure, see the topic High Blood Pressure (Hypertension).
• Drugs to help you stop smoking, such as:
  • Nicotine replacement therapy.
  • Bupropion hydrochloride (Zyban or Wellbutrin).
  • Varenicline (Champix).
• Anticoagulants. Anticoagulants, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or heparin, are not generally used to treat PAD unless you have a higher chance of forming blood clots.
• Medicines to control diabetes. For more information on drug treatment for these diseases, see the topics:
  • Type 1 Diabetes: Living With the Disease.
  • Type 1 Diabetes: Living With Complications.
  • Type 2 Diabetes: Living With the Disease.
  • Type 2 Diabetes: Living With Complications.

What to Think About

Pentoxifylline (Trental) may help increase the distance some people with intermittent claudication can walk before having leg pain, but it does not work for everyone. Pentoxifylline also has side effects, and some doctors feel these side effects outweigh the benefits of taking this medicine.

Studies show that antiplatelet medicines reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes in people with PAD when compared with a placebo. One study showed that clopidogrel (Plavix) worked better than ASA in reducing the number of heart attacks and strokes for some people with PAD.⁵ But clopidogrel is not always prescribed, because it is more expensive than ASA.

Go to previous section	Go to top of page	Go to next section
Author:	Robin Parks, MS	Last Updated: February 22, 2008
Medical Review:	Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine David A. Szalay, MD - Vascular Surgery
© 1995-2008 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.