digoxin vs ivabradine
Side-by-side comparison of digoxin and ivabradine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
moderate Known Drug Interaction
Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel blocker Ivabradine Can increase the risk of bradycardia.
Recommendation: Your doctor should check your pulse and heart rate often. Contact your doctor if you feel unusually weak, dizzy, or short of breath.
Lanoxin
Corlanor
Digoxin (Lanoxin) is a medicine that helps your heart pump better. It is used to treat heart failure and control irregular heartbeats.
Ivabradine (Corlanor) is a medicine that helps lower the risk of needing to go to the hospital for worsening heart failure. It works by slowing down your heart rate.
Digoxin is used to treat mild to moderate heart failure in adults. It helps the heart pump more blood with each beat. Digoxin is also used in children with heart failure to help their heart work better. In adults, it can control a fast and irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Ivabradine is used to lower the chance of hospitalization if your heart failure gets worse. It is for adults who have stable, long-term heart failure and a weak heart (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 35%). You must also have a resting heart rate of 70 beats per minute or higher and are either taking the highest dose of beta-blockers you can handle or cannot take beta-blockers at all.
Digoxin belongs to a class of drugs called cardiac glycosides. It works by making the heart muscle contract more strongly. It also slows down the electrical signals in the heart, which can help control irregular heartbeats.
Ivabradine works by blocking certain channels in your heart called HCN channels. These channels control your heart's natural pacemaker. By blocking these channels, ivabradine slows down your heart rate.
- • Nausea
- • Vomiting
- • Diarrhea
- • Dizziness
- • Headache
- • Slow heart rate
- • High blood pressure
- • Irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation)
- • Seeing bright flashes of light
- Shortness of breath 6,062
- Feeling sick to your stomach 4,747
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 4,442
- Feeling very tired 4,174
- Irregular heartbeat 3,972
- Shortness of breath 459
- Low blood pressure 413
- Feeling lightheaded or unsteady 350
- Heart failure 324
- Feeling very tired 317
Digoxin can cause serious side effects, including dangerous heart rhythms. You are at higher risk if you have certain heart conditions or kidney problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have nausea, vomiting, vision changes, or an irregular heartbeat.
Ivabradine can harm an unborn baby. If you are a woman who could get pregnant, use effective birth control while taking this medicine. This medicine can also cause a very slow heart rate. Your doctor will monitor your heart rate and adjust your dose as needed.
It is not known if digoxin can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. The medicine passes into breast milk, but it is unlikely to harm the baby.
Ivabradine can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not recommended to breastfeed while taking ivabradine.
How to Read This digoxin vs ivabradine Comparison
digoxin is classified in the Cardiac Glycoside drug class, while ivabradine sits within the HCN Channel Blocker class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, digoxin has 23,397 submissions while ivabradine has 1,863. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known moderate interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both of these medications work to slow down the heart. when taken together, they can cause the heart rate to drop to a level that is too slow.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between digoxin and ivabradine - always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.