hi everyone, I had a scare on monday and had to take my GTN spray for the first time in 10 months. i had bad chest pain that was getting worse and also had experienced lower jaw ache a few days prior to that. spent the day in hospital and it was confirmed I had not had a heart attack as the troponin levels were very low. they think it could be angina? I am now worried I may be suffering from angina? I spoke to my GP this morning and she said there is no reason to believe that. The atttack was most likely brought on by extreme stress. I have had my bisoprolol increased from 2.5mg to 5mg per day so I am hoping that solves the problem. I have had a permanent feeling of discomfort in the sternum area for the last 4 to 6 weeks now but it has not been painful and has never come to anything? my mother and her female side of the family all had heart disease and heart attacks/strokes, and angina!!! I'm worried this may be heredatory?
ANGINA: hi everyone, I had a scare on... - British Heart Fou...
ANGINA
Doctors, what do they know! 🤔The last time I saw a cardiologist, he told me I was probably suffering from indigestion 😂
If the gtn works, use it would be my advice, but don't let them fob you off with "it's more likely to be"
Like you, my family history on one line especially, is all strokes and heart problems, right back to the Earl 1800's. my mum bless her, spent her whole life worrying about it and waiting for something to happen. She got to 89 with no health issues at all.
My 4 siblings have all had healthy lives, they range from mid 50's to mid 70's. I'm the only one who was unlucky enough to have a problem. Once I was put on the right meds, I've had very few angina attacks, mostly mild in nature.
It is scary, my gauge to use GTN spray is when I start rating the pain. But you do know your own body, I had one cardiologist say I was just putting it on, come back in 3 yrs, gp sent me to another cardiologist and 4 months later I had another stent. Angina is not easy to cope with. Keeping calm and not stressing is key. Hope you are able to live the best life possible, many continue to enjoy many activities . Take care. Moni
I can use my GTN spray as much as 10 double doses a day, but then I can go for a week or more and never have to use it!
You don't say, but how or why were you prescribed GTN without you being diagnosed as suffering from Angina?
My advice is that you don't even wait until you are feeling any precise chest pain that you can attribute any kind of number on the pain scale index of 1 to 10. I have now become accustomed to knowing exactly when my angina is starting, I have a sixth sense knowledge of when the dreaded problem is going to rear its ugly head! I start to feel some kind of uneasy chest discomfort which in my case is always linked to when I also become what I describe as being breathy (slightly asthmatic) and normally a few moments rest, a couple of GTN puffs and possibly a Salamol spray as well and I am off again walking my beloved Spaniels.
You honestly do need to go and have a face to face consultation with your doctor, who is possibly the same one who prescribed your GTN spray in the first instance.
Hi,We all get different information dont we!! I have been told that the max usage of GTN spray per day is 3 times!!! I think I would be really concerned if I had to use it as many times per day as you sometimes do. The leaflet inside my box says max of three doses per day!? I am also guessing it is different depending on where you live or what hospital you were in? I am in Scotland. I was diagnosed with a mild heart attack and it is routine to be given a GTN spray along with the usual cocktail of heart medication!! I had a chest x ray an ECG and a CT angiogram and angina was looked for due to my family history. It was not detected by any of these tests. I dont need to go and have a face to face consultation with my doctor as I have already been in hospital this week and spoken to her after that.
Aww it is scary isnt it?! I get it a lot and my cardiologist changed me to Ivabradine from Bisoprolol because I gained 20kg weight and got kidney stones from it!! So beware, its a bit of a quiet little nasty. Wishing you all the best x
Thank you Tricia,I have had no problems at all with the bisoprolol and have gained no weight. As it is a beta blocker, it not only slows your heart rate and blood pressure down, but it also slows down your metabolism and makes you prone to being a wee bit sluggish and more tired. If you are sluggish and tired and your metabolism is compromised then you will perhaps be likely to put on a bit weight.
Yes I know it slows your metabolism too. For me, best avoided.
Oh dear-pleased don’t be afraid of using your GTN spray. I believe if it takes away the discomfort in your chest/back/arm/or jaw it’s doing it’s job. If it doesn’t time to call the medics. I recently was taken off the Bisoprolol by my cardiologist, as I was feeling so lethargic and my Isosorbide mono nitrate has been increased to 60mg and I’ve had a new lease of life. I’m a stress head and I do suffer from angina fairly frequently (despite my CABG x2 -family history of heart issues). Lost my dear brother 2 months ago to massive heart attack- he ignored all the symptoms and was on no meds. He was 66. So my angina has reared itself again with the upset after a three month sabbatical. Take the GTN. Good luck.
Excuse my ignorance but i have always believed that the GTN spray was for Angina yet you sound shocked/surprised that you have been diagnosed with angina?Why were you prescribed the spray in the first place?
I would echo the posts of others, I have angina (or I have had twice before) but have the spray and have tried it and it is fine, so please don't be afraid to use it.
Hi Heather,The hospital I was in gives everyone who has a heart attack the same cocktail of drugs!! That icludes, aspirin, clopidogrel, bisoprolol, atorvastatin and a GTN spray. I was given the spray on admission and told how to use it!!! so this was before anyone knew I had had a heart attack or an angina attack!! If you read my post again, I said that they think it could be angina, not that I have been diagnosed with angina. All the tests I had last year confirmed I had had a mild heart attack and not angina. I would have to go through the same tests again ( as would everyone else) to determine if I had angina.
I totally get all the other medications they are what most of us are on. My understanding of the spray is it causes the arteries to open therefore making it easier for the blood to flow (angina)I am no medic, far from a cardiologist, but maybe they already suspected you of having angina (or on the road to it) which is why you were given the spray.
It doesn't harm you to take it, you may have a dull headache the first few times but can bring on a very quick relief.
hi again. No angina whatsoever I am afraid!!! As far as I have been told a year ago and 2 days ago!!. The spray is given routinely here if you have had a heart attack. I also know how it works, but thank you for your thoughts
Sorry, I seem to offended you, so I'll go now.
no need to go or worry, you havn't offended me at all. this jusd just a difficult time
I was put on all meds for suspected anjina, I had a stress echocardiogram on Monday the technician said afterwards that my heart was ok and that it was most likely to be my hiatus hernia it's same symptoms of anjina when I go for my daily walk i still get chest ache when I walk uphill makes me think was the echocardiogram correct,I am waiting for gp to get in touch regarding stopping medication nitrates and statin i have stopped clopidogrel myself hope I have done the right thing.
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