Newbee!

[jazz64]

Hello! I'm new to the world of Angina with a recent diagnosis. GP gave me a GTN spray along with other meds. I've been seen by a cardiologist, who sent me for a chest X-ray and CT coronary scan. I'm waiting for these results - 4 weeks now! In the mean time I'm unsure as to how soon I need to use the GTN spray. Is it when I first get my pain and tightness in my chest? Any help would be good.

Thanks

[Griff-64]

Personally, if I get a pain I take a puff, if one doesn't deal with it, I'll take another after 5 minutes, then a third 5 minutes later. The pain is like someone has got hold of my heart and squeezing it and can be anything from a 2/10 to a 9/10.I never hesitate if I think I need it.

[jazz64 in reply to Griff-64]

Thank you

[Hidden]

If doing certain things causes you to have chest pain....say taking the stairs in a multi storey car park, start being proactive by taking a spray before you start the ascent.When you first start using the spray you will feel a hit when the blood starts surging round your body, you may feel lightheaded....make sure there's a wall to lean on or somewhere to sit....this feeling will go after you've used the spray a few times.

[jazz64 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you

[Visitingcat]

Hi Jazz64Just the other day on here I was looking through posts for advice on using gtn spray and someone had linked to a great page on a website “myheartsisters.org” a post called “a cardiologist’s advice on how to use this wonder drug”

I found it so helpful. Well worth a search.

I was looking for advice because I had pain after quite a mild exertion, it wasn’t going away and was beginning to scare me so I used my spray, I had the weirdest feeling but the pain started to ease so I’m glad I did.

I’ve sat there so many times feeling awful when I didn’t need to.

It even went into the reasons why people hesitate to use it and it rang so true.

It advised you to use the spray straight away.

Best wishes

V C

[jazz64 in reply to Visitingcat]

Thank you, very helpful

[Buzzy-Beans]

I have learnt over the last 4 years to take a double puff/squirt of GTN when I start to experience chest pains which in my case is almost always shortly after I have started to experience asthmatic shortness of breath.With the exception of the 4 occasions when nothing worked and I was ambulanced to A&E this has worked for me

[jazz64 in reply to Buzzy-Beans]

Thank you