Need for Digoxin After Valve Replacement

  My father, age 86, had double valve replacement and a double bypass 5 weeks ago and is doing remarkably well considering his age.  I wrote recently about his not gaining weight and am happy to report as of yesterday he actually gained one pound since his last doctor appointment 2 weeks ago so there is an improvement.  He is also improving mentally each day and is much more lively and "with it" as time goes by.  Thank you for your previous reply that reassured me on these subjects.
  My next question is in regard to digoxin, which is one of the medications he's taking.  At his doctor appointment yesterday, the doctor decided my father's heart is beating very strongly and well and that it would be OK to take him off the digoxin, especially since we think it may be contributing to his poor appetite.  I was a little concerned at taking him off digoxin so soon after the operation but his doctor said that since he has no signs of heart failure and his heart is all "fixed" now, it shouldn't be necessary anymore.  
  Please let me know your point of view on this, whether people who have had valve replacements/bypasses usually need to stay on digoxin or not after they recover.  Thank you for your help, as always!
  -Miriam
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Dear Miriam,
Thank you for your question.  We can't comment on specific treatment in this forum and recommend that you follow your doctor's advice on medication issues.  I have however provided some general information about digoxin below.
Digoxin (brand name Lanoxin) is derived from the foxglove flower, which was used for hundreds of years for medicinal purposes.  The uses of digoxin include treatment of congestive heart failure and to slow the ventricular rate in tachycardias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and supraventricular tachycardia.
Contrindications to its use are hypersensitivity to digoxin, idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis or constrictive pericarditis.
Potential side effects (and their incidence) are:
1-10% loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting
<1% slow heart rate, drowsiness, headache, fatigue, lethargy, blurred vision and flashing lights.
Dosage varies from 0.125 to 0.5 mg.
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.