Know more about medicine | Why shouldn’t you take nitroglycerin tablets while standing?

Aunt Wang suffered from angina pectoris two months ago, and the doctor prescribed nitroglycerin tablets. When dispensing the medicine, the pharmacist told her that it was best to take the medicine while sitting rather than standing. Why is that?

Nitroglycerin tablets can be used for the treatment and prevention of coronary heart disease and angina pectoris, and can also be used to lower blood pressure or treat congestive heart failure. The main function of nitroglycerin is to dilate blood vessels. Oral administration will reduce bioavailability due to the first-pass effect of the liver, so sublingual administration is usually used clinically. It takes effect about 2-3 minutes after sublingual administration, reaches the maximum effect in 6-7 minutes, and the effect lasts for 10-30 minutes. However, severe hypotension may occur when nitroglycerin tablets are used in small doses, especially in an upright position. Therefore, patients should take the medicine in a resting state and sit as much as possible to avoid fainting and falling due to dilation of blood vessels.