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Short answer Living with aficamten: what to watch for Common questions Related questions Sources**Most reported side effects of aficamten are mild, but the effect that matters most is that it can lower your heart's pumping strength too far, which can cause heart failure symptoms.**
Aficamten is a cardiac myosin inhibitor used for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and it works by reducing how forcefully the heart squeezes. That is helpful when the heart muscle is too thick, but too much reduction shows up as new shortness of breath, ankle swelling, quick weight gain, tiredness, or fainting. For that reason you get an echocardiogram before you start and on a set schedule afterward, and your dose is raised slowly based on those results. Milder effects people report include dizziness, fatigue, headache, and palpitations. Levels of the drug are changed by several common medicines, so keep one current list of everything you take, including over-the-counter acid reducers, and bring it to every cardiology visit.
Living with aficamten: what to watch for
Common questions
What are the side effects of Aficamten?
Aficamten is a cardiac myosin inhibitor for obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and its main risk is lowering the heart's ejection fraction too far, which can bring on heart failure. That is why you have an echocardiogram before starting and on a set schedule after, and why the dose is raised gradually. Milder effects reported include dizziness, fatigue, headache, and palpitations. Some medicines, including certain acid reducers, antifungals, and antidepressants, change aficamten levels, so your cardiologist should review your full list. Call your care team about new breathlessness, swelling, rapid weight gain, or fainting, and do not stop the drug on your own.