Pharmacologic management of chronic heart failure (HF) is primarily determined by the patient's left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and severity of symptoms. Patients with chronic HF who have an LVEF ≤40% are considered to have heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and those with an LVEF ≥50% are considered to have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Patients with an LVEF of 41-49% have heart failure with mildly reduced or mid-range ejection fraction.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder characterized by recurrent abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, often accompanied by bloating. IBS is classified by its predominant bowel symptom: constipation (IBS-C), diarrhea (IBS-D), mixed type (IBS-M), or unclassified (IBS-U). Since the exact cause of IBS is unknown, the goal of treatment is symptom control. Some over-the-counter (OTC) products and prescription drugs for IBS are listed in Tables 1-4. The safety of these drugs during pregnancy and lactation is described in Table 5 (online only).

View the Comparison Chart: Some Drugs for HFrEF