ANGINA MEDICATIONS |
Angina medications control the symptoms of angina caused by blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. It is important to note that they do not make the narrowings or blockages go away.
Only bypass surgery and angioplasty procedures can resolve the blockages. Risk factor modification helps prevent the narrowings from getting worse and may help them get a little better with time.
Patients with angina are commonly treated with aspirin. This does not help the angina but it does help prevent the narrowings in the arteries from progressing to a full blown heart attack.
Medications to prevent angina from occurring include:
Ranolazine (Ranexa)
Sublingual nitroglycerine tablets or spray are used to relieve an episode of anigina that may occur despite taking the preventative medicines listed above. They are taken every 5 minutes. It is generally recommended that the patient call 911 if the angina is not fully relieved by the third dose or if it frequently reoccurs.
Lowering the serum cholesterol level in all patients helps the arteries of the heart dilate is response to stress. It is possible that these effects may help relieve angina as well.
Ranolazine (Ranexa) alters the metabolism of the muscle of the heart. It also affects the ion currents across the heart muscle cell membranes. It is the only angina medication that does not have the side effect of lowering the blood pressure.
EECP is a noninvasive procedure that can also prevent angina.
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