PAH Medication & Treatment Guide

Medication Names: Tadalafil, Sidenafil

What It Does: Allows the lungs to relax and the blood vessels to expand, making it easier for your heart to pump blood through your body

Common Side Effects: Headache, flushing, lightheaded, nausea, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pain, back pain

Delivery Method: Oral, Subcutaneous (short-term only for subcutaneous)

Additional Information: Slows disease from getting worse, improves ability to do physical activity

Medication Names: Adempas, Riociguat 

What It Does: Allows the blood vessels in the lungs to relax helping more blood to flow through

Common Side Effects: Headache, indigestion, gastritis, dizziness, low blood pressure, anemia GERD, constipation, bleeding

Delivery Method: Oral

Additional Information: Slows disease from getting worse, improves ability to do physical activity

Medication Names: Bosentan, Ambrisentan, Macitentan

What It Does: Lowers blood pressure in the lungs, helping heart to pump blood more efficiently

Common Side Effects: Headache, joint pain, low blood pressure, fainting, flushing, irregular heartbeat, cold symptoms

Delivery Method: Oral

Additional Information: Improves ability to do physical activity, slows disease from getting worse, relieves symptoms

Medication Names: Epoprostenol, Flolan, Iloprost, Orenitram, Treprostinil, Treprostinil Inhaled, Remodulin, Tyvaso, Veletri, Ventavis

What It Does:  Allows the blood vessels in the lungs to relax; inhaled treatments relieve shortness of breath

Common Side Effects: Flushing, headache, muscle pain, cough, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, throat irritation, flu-like symptoms, rash

Delivery Method: Oral, inhaled, IV or subcutaneous

Additional Information: Improves ability to do physical activity

Medication Names: Selexipag

What It Does: Allows the blood vessels in the lungs to relax

Common Side Effects: Headache, jaw pain, muscle pain, joint pain, flushing, rash, anemia, nausea, pain/redness at injection site if injected

Delivery Method: Oral, subcutaneous

Additional Information: Slows disease from getting worse

Medication Names: Tyvaso DPI (Inhaled)

What It Does: Relaxes blood vessels, helping to widen the narrowed blood vessels in the lungs for better blood flow

Common Side Effects: Cough, headache, throat irritation, nausea, flushing, dizziness

Delivery Method: Inhaled

Additional Information: Improves ability to do physical activity, slows worsening of symptoms

Medication Names: Sotatercept-csrk (Winrevair)

What It Does: Works to correct imbalances that impact the structure of your blood vessels

Common Side Effects: Headache, nosebleed, rash, tiny blood vessels that look pink or red on the skin, diarrhea, dizziness, redness

Delivery Method: Subcutaneous

Additional Information: Improves ability to do physical activity, reduces the risk of physical condition and symptoms getting worsening

Medication Names: Opsynvi

What It Does: Counteracts the thickening of the arterial wall and organ damage; promotes muscle relaxation and widening of blood vessels

Common Side Effects: Edema/fluid retention, anemia, and headache/migraine

Delivery Method: Oral

Additional Information: Slows disease from getting worse and decreases risk of hospitalizations, improves ability to do physical activity