Angina Meds

By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy

Have you heard Trevor on the radio? Listen to 730 CKDM Tuesday Mornings at 8:35 am! We now have most of the articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website www.dcp.ca

The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.

One good idea can go a long way. Did you know that an ingredient in TNT or dynamite can helped chest pain?

A long time ago, I thought I was going to be a physicist. That turned out not to be the case, but I did get to go to one physics conference. I forget most of what I learned at that conference. However I remember I saw two Nobel Prize winners. The Nobel Prize is an international award administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden. It was started by Alfred Nobel. Alfred Nobel was a great scientist and inventor in 1800’s. One of his greatest inventions was dynamite. His inventions made him very wealthy, but at some point he grew very concerned about all the war around him in the 1800’s and how his inventions were being used to kill people. So in his will he left money to be given out the person who accomplished "the most or the best work for fraternity among nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the promotion of peace congresses." This turned in to the Nobel Peace Prize. Every year since 1901 the Nobel Prize has been awarded for achievements in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace.

In places like Alfred Nobel’s dynamite factories, people worked with nitroglycerin. The workers noticed they got awful headaches every Monday morning after being away from the factory for a few days. These headaches went away in a few hours. It was eventually determined that the headaches were caused by the nitroglycerin opening blood vessels in the brains of the workers. Opening up blood vessels in the brain can hurt, but if we open up blood vessels in the heart, we can actually make pain go away. This type of pain is called angina.

You may hear your doctor call chest pain angina pectoris, but many people simple call it angina. If suddenly start experiencing chest pain, get to your doctor or the hospital as soon as possible. For those people that the doctor has diagnosed as having angina, he/she may have given them a nitro-spray, or a nitro-patch. Both of these medications contain nitroglycerin, which helps open the blood vessels to the heart. Opening up blood vessels to the heart gets more blood and oxygen to the heart muscle and helps the pain go away. Even though both nitro-spray, and the nitro-patch contain nitroglycerin, they are used in different ways, and are used under different circumstances.

The nitro-spray is used at the first sign of angina, and should help the chest pain immediately. At the first sign of chest pain, sit down or recline, because the nitro-spray will probably make you dizzy. Don’t shake the canister. Hold it in an upright position, and remove the plastic cover. Open your mouth, bring the canister as close as possible, and spray the nitro under or onto your tongue. Don’t inhale the spray. If the pain persists, you can spray again in 5 minutes. If you need more than 3 doses in 15 minutes, seek medical attention immediately. Finally, if your doctor has prescribed nitro-spray for you, you should always carry it with you.

The nitro-patch works differently than the spray. With the nitro-patch, the nitroglycerin is absorbed slowly through the skin instead of through the mouth. It is designed to be used every day to prevent angina, where the spray is used to treat angina that is occurring now. To apply the patch, first wash your hands, then tear open the package. Hold the patch so that both brown lines are vertical and facing you. Bend the patch forward and back until you hear a light “SNAP”. Twist the patch to peel off its plastic backing, and avoid touching the backing. Apply the patch to a hairless area, such as the shoulders, back or hip. Unless your doctor tells you differently, you should only have the patch on for 12 hours, then it should be off for 12 hours. You should also rotate the various places you put the patch each day, to avoid irritating the skin.

So Alfred Nobel’s prizes still motivate and reward those who push forward the boundaries of science and medicine. Alfred Nobel’s own great invention, dynamite is still in use today. And nitroglycerin, one of the main ingredients in dynamite is still helping people’s hearts. One good idea can go a long way.

As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.