About this topic
Angina happens when the heart muscle does not get the right amount of oxygen-rich blood. It is most often caused by blocked blood vessels in your heart. Angina is a sign of heart disease. Angina can cause chest pain that may feel like tightness and pressure. Pain can happen in the arm or shoulder. You may also have pain or pressure in your arm, shoulder, back, or jaw. Women more often than men may have pain in the upper body. Some people do not have any pain at all, but feel short of breath, weak, sweaty, or sick. The signs often ease with rest. ‚
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- If you smoke or use tobacco, stop.
- Rest when you feel pain.
- Learn to manage stress in your life.
- Talk with your doctor about a safe exercise program.
- If you have high blood pressure you may want to buy a blood pressure monitor so that you can check your blood pressure at home. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about which monitor to buy. Keep a record of the readings. Ask for help if you need it to learn how to use the monitor.
- Talk with your doctor about when you can go back to your normal activities like work or sex.
What follow-up care is needed?
Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits. ‚
What drugs may be needed?
- Your doctor may start you on drugs, such as:
- Nitroglycerin patches that you will take each day
- Nitroglycerin pills to carry with you to take when you have angina
- If you are to take nitroglycerin pills with angina, place one pill under your tongue and rest. If the pain has not eased in 5 minutes, take one more pill under your tongue and rest. If the pain does not ease after another 3 to 5 minutes, take a third pill under your tongue and call your local ER right away.
- If nitroglycerin pills have been ordered, always carry them with you and make sure they are good. They can get out of date or spoil easily. The pill should burn or tingle when you put it under your tongue. If it does not, it may need to be replaced.
- Talk with your doctor about taking an aspirin each day. Aspirin can help keep blood vessels open and avoid a heart attack.
- Talk with your doctor about drugs that will help control other health problems like high blood sugar, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.
- Do not take drugs like Viagra ‚ ®, Cialis ‚ ®, Levitra ‚ ®, and some herbals if you are taking any form of nitroglycerin. They may cause your blood pressure to drop very low.
- Take all drugs as ordered by your doctor. If a drug makes you sick, talk with your doctor before stopping it.
What changes to diet are needed?
- Eat a healthy diet.
- Limit salt in your diet.
- If you weigh too much, talk to your doctor or dietitian about changing your diet to lose weight.
When do I need to call the doctor?
Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a heart attack. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚
- Signs of heart attack:
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Fast heartbeat
- Feeling dizzy
- Change in the pattern of your signs, such as pain more often, pain when at rest, pain lasts longer
- Taken nitroglycerin and still have pain
Call your doctor if you have: ‚
- Feeling very weak
- Feelings of passing out
- Very bad headache
- Upset stomach or throwing up
- Numbness in your arm
- Swelling in your ankles that does not go away
- Problems with any of the drugs you are taking
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you when I can go back to my normal activities.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have signs of a heart attack.
Where can I learn more?
American Heart Association ‚
http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_300287.pdf ‚
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ‚
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/angina/ ‚
NHS Choices ‚
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/angina/pages/introduction.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚