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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffTreatment of claudication and peripheral arterial disease is designed prevent your disease from getting worse and reduce your symptoms.
If your claudication symptoms don't ease after adopting a healthier lifestyle, your doctor may suggest other treatment options, including:
- Medications. Certain medications can improve your circulation. Your doctor may prescribe a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin) to decrease blood clotting or a cholesterol-lowering drug (statin) to lower your cholesterol. Your doctor might also recommend you take aspirin to reduce the narrowing of your arteries.
- Angioplasty. Cases of claudication and peripheral arterial disease that are more severe may require angioplasty. This is a procedure in which damaged arteries are widened with a balloon catheter to improve circulation. A stent is often implanted at the same time to keep the artery propped open. This is similar to angioplasty of your heart arteries (coronary angioplasty).
- Vascular surgery. Your doctor may recommend surgery that takes a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body to replace the vessel that's causing your claudication. This allows blood to flow around the blocked or narrowed artery.
- Thrombolytic therapy. If you have an artery that's blocked by a blood clot, your doctor may insert a clot-dissolving drug into your artery to break it up.
- Hyperbaric chamber. If you have ulcers on your legs from severe claudication, your doctor may recommend you sit in a hyperbaric chamber to help your ulcers heal. A hyperbaric chamber is an oxygen-rich environment that helps cuts and sores heal and promotes cell growth.
