Jen Hale has been compensated for her time.
When one thinks of a person living with heart failure, someone with an active lifestyle like sports journalist Jen Hale typically does not come to mind. About seven years ago, Hale began experiencing classic heart failure symptoms, including trouble breathing, swollen legs and irregular heartbeat, which led to her eventually being diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a type of heart disease that is a common cause of heart failure.
“Prior to my diagnosis I was an extremely active person. College athlete, and then I turned into a weekend warrior once I had to grow up and get a real job and become an adult. I was certainly someone who thought heart failure wouldn’t ever happen to me.” Hale says. “When they said those words, “heart failure,” I thought, you have my chart mixed up with somebody else. Something’s off, it can’t be anything as dramatic as heart failure. It’s a very deceiving term, failure, like you failed the test, it’s over with. It’s not.”
Here, Hale discusses her journey to receiving her diagnosis, how her family history helped provide her with clarity, and how she lives a full life with heart failure. Hale’s cardiologist recommended a medication as part of her treatment plan: ENTRESTO® (sacubitril/valsartan). It helps with managing her heart failure. Based on the advice of her doctors, she continues being active and working in the world of sports media, in moderation. While everybody's experience is different, for Jen, ENTRESTO has helped her manage her heart failure.
“I think mental toughness is an important part of the battle when receiving an initially frightening diagnosis,” Hale says. “You’ve got to have hope, you’ve got to have a reason to keep going. You’ve got to have a reason to believe you’re going to get better.”
INDICATION
What is ENTRESTO?
ENTRESTO is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with long-lasting (chronic) heart failure to help reduce the risk of death and hospitalization. ENTRESTO works better when the heart cannot pump a normal amount of blood to the body.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is the most important information I should know about ENTRESTO?
ENTRESTO can harm or cause death to your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about other ways to treat heart failure if you plan to become pregnant. If you get pregnant during treatment with ENTRESTO, tell your doctor right away.
Do not take ENTRESTO if you:
- are allergic to any of the ingredients in ENTRESTO
- have had an allergic reaction including swelling of your face, lips, tongue, throat (angioedema) or trouble breathing while taking a type of medicine called an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB)
- take an ACE inhibitor medicine. Do not take ENTRESTO for at least 36 hours before or after you take an ACE inhibitor medicine. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking ENTRESTO if you are not sure if you take an ACE inhibitor medicine
- have diabetes and take a medicine that contains aliskiren
Before taking ENTRESTO tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:
- have a history of hereditary angioedema
- have kidney or liver problems
- are pregnant or plan to become pregnant; are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. You should either take ENTRESTO or breastfeed. You should not do both
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take potassium supplements or a salt substitute; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); lithium; or other medicines for high blood pressure or heart problems such as an ACE inhibitor, ARB, or aliskiren.
What are the possible side effects of ENTRESTO?
ENTRESTO may cause serious side effects including:
- Swelling of your face, lips, tongue and throat (angioedema) that may cause trouble breathing and death. Get emergency medical help right away if you have symptoms of angioedema or trouble breathing. Do not take ENTRESTO again if you have had angioedema while taking ENTRESTO
- People who are Black or who have had angioedema and take ENTRESTO may have a higher risk of having angioedema
- low blood pressure (hypotension), which may be more common if you take water pills. Call your doctor if you become dizzy or lightheaded, or you develop extreme fatigue
- kidney problems
- increased amount of potassium in your blood (hyperkalemia)
The most common side effects were low blood pressure, high potassium, cough, dizziness, and kidney problems.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
This information is not comprehensive. Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNING, and Patient Prescribing Information.
© 2023 Novartis 11/23 311953
