Hi everyone,
I am new and i have a question. I have unstable angina. I am having so many attacks 12 in just over a month and a half. Lsst weekend i was at A&E on saturday and then again on the sunday. My gtn never seems to work and have to go through the stress of calling ambulance everytime. I am going to see cardiologist soon. Dr Johnson but why doesnt the gtn work? Hugs sara
Hi Sara. Sorry to hear you’re having such a rough time. It’s bad enough having heart probs - but if the meds don’t work that’s really frustrating. I’m afraid I have no idea why the GTN spray isn’t working. Assuming you’re taking the right dose it should help to ease angina. It’s good you’re seeing a cardiologist who’ll have a much better idea.
Thanks, maybe its the dosage i dont know, so frustrating. Hugs sara
Hi Sara. Is the GTN spray empty? Have you tried a replacement GTN spray? You’re doing the right thing sending for an ambulance. I must admit when the ambulance staff gave me their spray when I was having a heart attack it didn’t work. I don’t know enough about it but I’ve been told to carry a spray just in case.
No its not empty brand new one. I relace it every month too. I am using it a lot so theres also no danger of it being out of date, hugs sara
hi sarah i suffer from unstable angina and gtn just doesn’t work all the time. just remember if it doesn’t help after 3x2puffs you need to go to a&e. only they have the equipment to check out what’s going on. i have to say iv only went to hospital on 2 occasions and have been kept in both times and given morphine then off to the cath lab where a stent was fitted both times. good luck and don’t be afraid of going to hospital. iv always got someone to take me but if you don’t call ambulance. that’s what they’re there for❤️shiona
They've always kept Kevin in and given him morphine. Never really understood how that worked but it always got him out of pain. Then they'd up his isobide monitrate and send him home after a night or two!
yeah me too. unfortunately they’ve not found an anti anginal i can tolerate yet
Oh no, i am allergic to the tablet i think its the same one. I am on amlopodine but ankles get really swollen. Hugs sara
Diltiazem like Amdopoline is a CCI (calcium channel inhibitor). I found it worked better as an anti-anginal without the odema. Could be worth a try.
Thanks, sorry that you have it too. I havent had to stay in hospital yet the troponin tests usually come back normal and they let me go. I am much better at calling ambulance i hate being a nuiscance but needs must and with my history they never mind. Hugs sara
that’s good. are you still in pain when they send you home?always said i couldn’t go home while still in pain
Hi love sorry to hear of your unstable angina, I have also got it. It's more under control than it was but it took over 12 months and I'm taking several meds now. Mine is brought on by stress the cold and then whenever it wants to. My gtn has never worked for me. I have micro vascular angina, vasospastic angina. Milkfairy will be along soon. She is the expert on the unstable angina, hopefully you will get some help when you see your cardiologist. Good luck x Sheena
My husband has unstable Angina. He is on a lot of meds. Sometimes the Gtn works and then other times he has to go to A and E because it doesn’t. Hope you get sorted soon.
No it takes about 3 hours but the pain usually goes. Hugs sara
Hiya, so sorry to hear that. My husband was having that problem and they upped his meds which have so helped him. We have always called the ambulance in the past and they have always got him to chew 2 aspirins before they took him in incase it helped, it never did but the extra strength tablet has helped.
By the way is Twycross where you live? Regards Ursula x
No i live on portland, but hubbys family are related to twycross zoo, hugs sara
Maybe ask to try Nitro patches if your pain is all the time?
Oh I see, I only asked because I used to stay at a little pub there when I was working
Hi Sara, unstable angina is characterised by angina at rest indicating critical narrowing of a coronary artery.
Are you sure that the cause of your pain is heart related as I would have thought you would have been given an angiogram if the doctors thought you had a severe narrowing.
If you can exercise then it's unlikely to be angina?
I only ask because I suffer similar frequent chest pain at rest but can exercise to a high level so don't think mine is heart related.
I have already been diagnoised with angina, had angiograme last year unstable angina nearly always comes on at rest. Hugs sara
Ask about Prinzmetals Angina along with vasospasm. I was diagnosed with this in 2007 at the age of 26. I have one HA, no stents in 2015. And then this July had double bypass. The only thing that helps when the Prinzmetals start is morphine.
Wow sorry you have been diagnoised with that, i will ask them what they think at next appointment hugs sara
You may find this BHF information helpful.
bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...
I am away at the moment but will answer more fully later.
The classic symptoms of vasospastic angina aka coronary artery spasms/ Printzmetal/ variant angina is pain at rest in particular at night and early morning.
The usual treatment is with sublingual GTN or in severe cases IV GTN and morphine.
Also calcium channel blockers such as Diltiaziem.
Unstable Angina - Carotid ultrasound scan?
unstable micro vascular angina 
Unstable /non specific angina 
untreated unstable angina
