Nitro pump and angina

Hello,

Nitro pump is a rescue medication when you have angina. Angina presents itself as a sudden sharp pain in the chest opposite the heart. It often happens when the heart is asked to exert itself, for example after eating or after a physical effort. The heart lacks oxygen because the vessels that feed it are partly blocked. This creates pain and angina. I refer you to the heart disease site for more details

When using the pump, the spray should be applied on or under the tongue. The medication takes effect after 5 minutes. It is possible to re-spray if you think you did it wrong. In order to avoid this, I advise, before using the pump, to spray in a vacuum to remove the air. When a nice spray comes out, then sit down and spray into your mouth. It is important to sit down, because there is a risk of falling to the ground if you do not. Indeed, the medication is very effective in dilating the vessels

Every 5 minutes, it is possible to repeat a dose if the symptoms persist. However, if this is the case, you should consider going to the hospital or calling 911, as this suggests that the pump alone is not sufficient to open the heart vessels

Yes, the term "de novo" only means that the symptoms of angina are recent. However, the whole process behind these symptoms, i.e. the blockage of the heart vessels, develops over several years before you even feel it

This shows the importance of having good lifestyle habits (being active, eating a lot of fruits/vegetables and little fat/salt, not smoking, limiting the amount of alcohol) as early as possible in order to delay the evolution of such heart diseases.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Sarah-Yan Chagnon, pharmacist