Difflam spray (Benzydamine hydrochloride) NSAID?

[Tos92]

Good morning,

I hope everyone is as well as they can be.

I’ve recently been having an issue with an inflamed tonsil on the right side of my throat, and it’s causing me a lot of grief. Spoke with the GP yesterday, and she prescribed the Difflam spray which contains 0.15% Benzydamine Hydrochloride. She suggested using NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, but I have to remind her every time that I cannot take them due to my my heart condition. So she prescribed the spray instead however, doing a quick online search, Benzydamine is considered an NSAID. Pharmacist said it was okay to take, but I’m concerned it will trigger my angina.

Also, not much information at all online about whether Benzydamine is suitable for heart patients.

Anyone have experiences with the spray or Benzydamine and did it make your symptoms worse?

Just a disclaimer- I’m not asking for medical advice, just people’s experiences with Benzydamine.

Thank you x

[Tos92]

No need to be sorry.

I thought I might find something online as I wasn’t sure whether it was okay to post on here, but there’s absolutely minuscule information online about Benzydamine in heart patients. My GP never seems to remember that I can’t take NSAIDs, and the pharmacist was too busy to speak to me directly so had the message passed on through a staff member. So here I am!

[Hidden]

Wow poor you, so sorry your in this state,

Tonsils and Tonsillitis is not nice, but I think you have given your age away. As my age group had them taken out in a mass conveyor belt government initiative, if you stood still long enough they would take them!

A friend told me afterwards that I wouldn't be able to breath underwater because I had them removed and that was what they were for !

So back to the spray, I was prescribed it for throat ulcers { thank you new medication } and like you I have Angina.

But unlike you I never questioned it { unusual for me } as I am very confidant with my pharmacist { more so than the Dr }

It did its job and I had no difference in my angina { still there nothing worse or better }

Hope you get it sorted, there is still the good old fashioned salt gargle.....yuccck but it works so I'm told.

Take care

[Tos92 in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I’ve heard about this government initiative before. I’ve recently been told it’s stopped? My brother suffers from large tonsils, which disrupts his breathing a little bit but I’m sure there was an age limit/criteria on having them removed. Strangely, he was never offered it when he was younger but I think he’s surpassed the age criteria anyway, he’s 28 and I’m 30.

This is the first time I’ve had an issue with my tonsils, I wasn’t ready for the pain, it’s excruciating! To be fair, it is a small amount of NSAID, so I might not notice it however, I have a history of being sensitive to meds so I like to be cautious where I can.

Oh yes, doing the warm water and salt gargle, despite the taste!

Thanks for sharing your experience   Hidden x

[Hidden in reply to Tos92]

It was a sixties thing.............there was a lot going on then, blame the hippies. { my parents }

[Tos92]

Sigh 😔

[Hidden]

you have to think about problems above the waist line now and then........just saying but soap helps { wink }

[Tos92]

I’ve never heard about gargling with TCP 😳

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to Tos92]

I've gargled with it.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

Hi @Tos92

I am also very careful about any food, drinks or medication I take.

Vasospastic angina is rare and not well understood by many healthcare professionals.

Caffeine, artificial sweetners, pseudoephedrine found in over the counter cold remedies, beta blockers and adrenaline are all listed to be avoided on my medical notes. They all trigger my coronary vasospasms.

For a sore throat I drink hot water with lemon and honey or I gargle with hot salty water, which is yucck as Blue1958 says but seems to work for me.

Best as always, to actually speak directly to a Pharmacist.

Maybe use 111 online?

I hope you feel better soon.

[Tos92 in reply to Milkfairy]

Thanks Milkfairy

[Hidden in reply to Milkfairy]

Hello you

I have been put on Nicorandil  for my angina which is a Vasospastic drug { 10mg twice a day } do you think that they are exploring that line? awaiting scans to see if bypass's haven't failed etc, pacemaker [ CRT-d ] working ok { shocked twice }

Sorry OP to go of topic a bit but its the Nicorandil that is doing the mouth stuff , so not to far of topic

[Tos92 in reply to Hidden]

No need to apologise Hidden . I understand the concerns you may have. Vasospastic angina is hard to diagnose and treat. Hope Milkfairy can help with your query.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

Hello you too,Nicorandil is prescribed to treat angina due to obstructive disease and microvascular dysfunction or coronary vasospasms.

So it is not exclusive for treating vasospastic angina.

I am on nicorandil 30mgs twice a day.

I don't have any side effects thankfully.

My dentist keeps a close eye on my gums and I see a dental hygienist regularly.

I am maxed out on my calcium channel blockers and isosorbide mononitrate too.

What is now being recognised is microvascular dysfunction, when the small blood vessels in the heart don't function properly is not uncommon after stents being inserted or after bypass surgery.

The surgery treats the obstructive disease to reveal the hidden microvascular dysfunction.

Have you asked your Cardiology team whether they are considering that microvascular dysfunction or coronary vasospasms are causing your chest pain?

Often microvascular dysfunction and coronary vasospasms are diagnoses of exclusion.

A perfusion MRI can diagnose microvascular dysfunction however coronary vasospasms can usually be confirmed by a specialised angiogram.

I really hope you're not about to join the niche club of coronary vasospasms.

[Hidden in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you so much for that information,

Now I have more questions to ask and believe me I will, hopefully as I am on a low dose they are not thinking down that line yet, like wise my dentist keeps an eye on things { has since the Cancer } but these ulcer pop up very quickly, they are tiny { clear at the moment }

Thanks again

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

I am sorry to hear you have had cancer too.

Chemotherapy can cause damage to the small blood vessels of the heart and the heart muscle.

There has been a trial into using a medication designed to treat prostrate cancer ( it didn't work) to treat microvascular angina.

There is also a new specialty of Cardio Oncology. It might be worth discussing this with your Cardiologist as well.

rbht.nhs.uk/our-services/he...

[Hidden in reply to Milkfairy]

Thank you for some excellent ideas, I have no doubt that the cancer treatment. {extremely aggressive} played a part in my heart problems, but they { understandably } are more interested in fixing it than how it was caused, but I will chase it, thank you.

[Milkfairy Heart Star in reply to Hidden]

Hobson's choice 😳

[Tos92]

Had you not mentioned it, I wouldn’t have had a clue it was possible to gargle with TCP. I always thought it was used for cuts, grazes, and other surface wounds basically.

[Tos92]

A joke just came to mind, but I won’t say it as I don’t want to get told off for it becoming an “off-topic” social thread as I really do need people’s experiences with the spray 😂

[Tos92]

Better not had. I don’t think many people will be impressed 😂. But then I suppose, you may know what that already feels like anyway with your jokes 🤣.

[Tos92]

🙈

[Hidden]

Intersting.................love the smell of the stuff but never used it as a mouth wash, wonder what's in it? mmmmm have some spray left if I need it { high possibility } but may look into that instead, mouth ulcers suck as much as Tonsillitis does

[gladliz in reply to Hidden]

For mouth ulcers my Grandmother swore by Glycerine. Basically take a swig, swill it round the mouth for a bit, concentrating on the affected area, then swallow. I still keep a bottle handy for use with Lemon and Honey for colds and sore throat as well. Cold cures and cough medicine are No Nos with my heart condition.

[Hidden in reply to gladliz]

Interesting thank you , I will get a bottle and have it handy, so far all has been ok on that front for a while

[Cavalierrubie]

l have had the Difflam spray for blood blister on the roof of my mouth. I don’t have Angina but l found TCP the absolute best, much better in clearing it up than the spray and better than salt water. My granny swore by it and so do l. 👍

[Etzel]

Hiya,

I had a period where I pretty much lived on the mouthwash, this was gargling 30 secs at a time so i'm guessing a potentially much stronger dose. I never had any side effects but I will add I seem almost immune to the problems a lot of people on here have with drugs so may not be a valid comparison.