Nitro patch and high blood pressure

Billy Goldberg is a New York emergency physician and the co-author with Mark Leyner of two fascinating books about health trivia. He explains that the medicinal dose of nitroglycerin in our heart medication is infinitesimal compared with the amount in a stick of dynamite. Ironically, many years later, Alfred Nobel — the scientist who had first used nitro in the dynamite his company patented — was prescribed nitroglycerin for his own chronic angina pain.

A few months before his death in , Nobel wrote to a friend:. They call it Trinitrin, so as not to scare the chemist and the public. See your own physician for more information about chronic angina or nitroglycerin. Lown developed the direct current defibrillator for resuscitating the arrested heart, as well as the cardioverter for correcting disordered heart rhythms.

Sam Levine is the same doctor who first observed that many patients suffering in mid-heart attack will hold a clenched right fist over the chest to describe their cardiac symptoms.

Volume 27, Issue 4. Q: Do you tend to delay taking your nitro for angina? View all posts by Carolyn Thomas. Like Liked by 1 person. I can use nitro effectively for chest pressure brought on by exertion — for example, when I had to wrestle the snow blower in the aftermath of a blizzard earlier this year, I made sure my tiny bottle of pills were in my coat pocket instead of my pants pocket like usual.

As soon as I felt the pressure coming on, I popped a pill under my tongue and continued on. One said the pressure was more concerning; one just shrugged and lumped me a category of having complex issues without having any medical or surgical treatment suggestsions; and another Mayo Clinic told me it was acid reflux NOT!!!!

I live with coronary microvascular disease and have countless episodes of really dreadful chest pain per month, sometimes several in one day on a really bad day.

The website UP TO DATE has an interesting and comprehensive overview to help figure out if chest pain is heart-related or not — keeping in mind that everybody is different, so reality may differ, but generally speaking, they say:. The patient may actually have difficulty describing the exact location of the pain. Cardiac pain often involves the center of the chest or upper abdomen.

It is less likely to be cardiac ischemia if the pain is felt only on the right or left side, or not in the center of the chest, or if the patient is able to point with a finger to one area of pain, or if eating a meal helps to reduce the pain.

Sometimes a pattern emerges in angina that does not respond to nitro. Like Like. Thanks for the long reply.

Often the pain comes in waves. Hello again Holly — you brought up such an interesting point: is it preferable to be greeted with an indifferent shrug or the wrong treatment? Both are awful! I simply cannot image that heart failure doc saying such a thing out loud to a male patient. There are in fact a number of medications that are regularly recommended for MVD you may be already taking one or more of them. Has anybody ever suggested you look into TENS therapy? No one has suggested TENS to me which happens to have been the first post on your blog I ever read, and then I followed the blog.

But the average is probably 20 minutes of moderate-to-severe pain my very subjective scale :. I guess, as with my autonomic neuropathy issues including cardiac , I just want an official diagnosis so I will get more respect from medical professionals.

This particular heart failure specialist used to be more engaged — I saw him for about 9 months in , and he was great, negotiating with me, taking my concerns and needs seriously. These days he is just as nice overall, and takes all the time I want, but not necessarily how much time i need. The whole practice is different, though many of the staff are the same.

I wish they would use their portal, it would make my life so much easier and would be a great time saver for them, allowing them to spend more time with needier patients.

Wow, I had no idea they were so inexpensive! But how would I use one? I will keep it in mind, though, in case the frequency, duration, and pain level increase. Hi again Holly — in answer to your first question: I can only answer according to how my own cardiologist and pain specialist recommend TENS therapy for me: I used to turn it on attached to a clip on my belt every morning and walk around with it on all day, until bedtime.

Now I wear it off and on, based on when vague symptoms first start up. Keep this mind, as you say… Best of luck to you…. Thanks for the additional information, Carolyn. I will keep the idea of TENS in my mind for if my symptoms continue increasing.

Nice to know there is a treatment that will likely help if I end up needing it! Holly, how have you been feeling, since your message above? Very upsetting, as his daughter. Having read this article it has given me a better understanding of how to use my spray.

In the past, have only used it when I had severe chest pains which, subsequently, ended up in hospitalization. During the past few weeks I have had a severe tightness of my chest which has caused me severe anxiety.

This morning I felt so bad I decided to use my spray. The relief was fantastic, so much so that the tightness has disappeared together with my anxiety and I am so much more relaxed. I take Xanax for anxiety and panic disorder. Had one yesterday, took everything I had to not jump outta my skin. I have nitro tablets, got a little heaviness in my chest, no pain no where, had a bad anxiety attack with panic attack.

Never a good idea to just keep piling on pharmaceuticals, no matter how desperate the symptoms seem, so you are smart to ask the question first. But nitro is used for cardiac angina, and is not the most effective way to treat GERD gastro-esophageal reflux disease even if you have been diagnosed with that. Best idea: double check with your physician first to make sure there is no potential for any dangerous drug-drug interaction, and also to rule out a possible esophageal problem.

Meanwhile, your local pharmacist and also Drugs. I know you posted awhile ago but this suggestion might still help. I too have panic attacks and one non rx thing that helps was something a therapist suggested.

This has worked for me. Only your physician can help you to solve this mystery. I can say very generally that it would be highly unusual for a person your age to be experiencing angina symptoms — not impossible, just rare. Stent in my heart from heart attack in Taiwan. Feel fine now. If more pains come today, can I take 3 more little white pills.

What is max amount in one day? Just 3 per 15 minutes or 6 okay or 9? But another number below the reading said The pharmacist told me 90 is normal. Is 96 dangerous and what does it stand for,? Blood vessel problems,,? Danny bloom retired reporter cli-fi. Please contact your physician, especially to review your blood pressure numbers. Referred to a Rheumatic specialist who, with 4 yrs of X-rays and Cat-scan, determined I have advanced Ankylosing Spondylitis fusing of the spine where my rib cage is basically fixed with little to no expansion.

Yes, this little bottle of nitro does the trick for me, especially in the cold climate of Northern Ontario where I live, never leave home without it. I used to be one of those who would not take my nitro till the last moment, but after reading this article at the beginning of I have made a habit of being proactive with it. So glad you found this article a year ago, AJ!

You bring up such an important point: the fear we sometimes have about taking nitro at the first hint of symptom. Instead we try to suffer through — while the remedy for our suffering is right beside us! Best of luck to you in …. My dad is 85, the past month, is feeling very winded, and has these… trying to get his breath… episodes, that is scary. Stable angina —reduces oxygen demand of myocardium by reducing preload.

American Heart Association. Handbook of Emergency Cardiac Care p. Dirks, J. Urden, K. Lough's Eds. Critical care nursing: Diagnosis and management 6th ed. Louis: Mosby Elsevier. Lehne, R. A possible treatment choice used to treat acute hypertension is nitroglycerin ointment. Nitroglycerin is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this condition, and limited evidence exists to support this indication.

Objective: To evaluate the statistical and clinical effectiveness of nitroglycerin ointment as a treatment option for acute hypertension based on a 20 mm Hg or greater reduction in systolic blood pressure.