Angina

[Platypus6]

Hi looking for some help advice! I saw a doctor at the hospital on Monday who said I have angina and prescribed rannexation for four months to see how I get on with them, no one has explained when to use the gtn spray or how many times a day you can use it tia.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Please could you clarify what drug you are in - predictive text seems to have caught you out! Are you on any other medications?

My angina (pre bypass) was treated mainly with anti-anginals so I only had GTN a few times so I will let a regular user advise you on this.

[Platypus6 in reply to MichaelJH]

Hello Michael thanks for getting back to me, I take antenolol, clopidogrel, rosuvastatin, ranitidine and just been prescribed ranolazine. I have a blocked right artery which is an old blockage which they would not stent after ha. The Dr I saw on Monday said he would try me on ranolazine for four months before referring me to a specialist.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Platypus6]

OK, that makes sense as it is an anti-anginal drug. I was on isosorbide mononitrate and Diltiazem at different times. If it works for you, you may not need the GTN spray very much but, as said, I will someone more knowledgeable advise on the GTN spray.

The medications you are on are a fairly standard mix for CVD/angina. Good luck with the new medication.

[Platypus6 in reply to MichaelJH]

Thank you

[Morleyone in reply to Platypus6]

Did you find the isosorbide drug good

[Platypus6 in reply to Morleyone]

Which one is that?

[Platypus6 in reply to Morleyone]

Haven’t had that one.

[Morleyone in reply to Platypus6]

It's this I -pad I meant tablet

[Platypus6 in reply to Morleyone]

Which tablet?

[Morleyone in reply to Platypus6]

The isosorbide tablet I've just been given it giving me a really bad head which I know it can just not feeling too good at moment .

[Platypus6 in reply to Morleyone]

I don’t take that one, some of my meds give me a bad headache as well.

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Morleyone]

Takes a week to ten days to settle usually. If still around in a fortnight go back to your GP as there are other anti-anginals as mentioned!

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Morleyone]

I mentioned I had taken isosorbide mononitrate not Platypus6. It is fairly effective at adverting angina and for that I would give it 9/10 when you get the doseage right. Diltiazem was slightly more effective but is a CCI (calcium channel inhibitor) rather than a nitrate and I had some side effects. However, we all react differently and it might work for you if you have angina issues.

[Morleyone in reply to MichaelJH]

Thankyou they are treating me for angina but don't see cardiologist while October for my ct scan results so Iam in limbo at the moment

[Sunnie2day]

Re the GTN: first of all, read the package insert leaflet and keep it where you can re-read it (I've had to read my leaflet several times since the first prescription!).

To use the spray, first find a safe and comfortable place to sit down then 'spray the air' - not you - gets the pump action working to a better effect.

Next, open your mouth, clamp your tongue to the roof of your mouth to expose the area under your tongue then aim and deliver one or two sprays to the area under your tongue ('sub-lingual', means under your tongue). Let your tongue fall back to a normal position, close your mouth and avoid drinking anything to rid your mouth of the truly awful taste the GTN leaves you with.

If the angina pain doesn't go away in a few minutes, repeat the spray - if the pain still doesn't subside, call 999 and tell them what is happening.

Be forewarned, the GTN usually works but it tastes horrible, and has some unpleasant side effects (ranging from dizziness, near-immediate nasty headache, and may go on to intestinal cramping that will have you unable to get more than a few steps from the convenience the next day) that are not nice but the relief the GTN provides make the unpleasantries reasonable.

Keep a note of how often you're needing to use the spray, and how long it takes to ease the angina pain. Make sure to pass that information onto the consultant at your next meeting.

[Platypus6 in reply to Sunnie2day]

Many thanks Sunnie2day for the great advice.

[shopman in reply to Sunnie2day]

On top of what Sunnie2 has said I would also suggest having more than 1 GTN spray. I carry one in my pocket, one in the car, have ones at each location I work at and another by the side of the bed. Strangely enough on Monday of this week my wife took poorly at a hospital appointment - this was in a nationally recognised leading heart hospital - but it was my GTN Spray they used as they had none to hand in the Emergency Suite.

[Platypus6 in reply to shopman]

Hi Shopman thanks for the advice! Thank goodness you had your spray.