Do you know the correct way to take nitroglycerin?

Nitroglycerin is a common medicine for patients with coronary heart disease. It can quickly relieve angina pectoris and can be used for emergency treatment. It is an essential life-saving medicine for coronary heart disease.

I remember watching a TV series "Surgery Storm" with my father. In one episode, Director Fu suddenly had angina pectoris, and hurriedly took out a pill and swallowed it with his neck tilted back. My father, who has coronary heart disease, immediately turned around and asked me: "Is he taking nitroglycerin? This is not the right way to take medicine!" "Yes, nitroglycerin in the play is indeed not taken correctly." Let's talk about how to take nitroglycerin correctly.

1. Take it sublingually. Three times is better than three times

Many people think that medicine is only effective if taken orally, but this is not true. Nitroglycerin should be taken sublingually. Because most of the nitroglycerin is degraded by the liver after being absorbed, and the remaining active ingredients are less than 10%, so nitroglycerin should not be swallowed.

Correct way to take medicine: When angina pectoris occurs suddenly, generally hold nitroglycerin tablets under the tongue. It will take effect within 1-3 minutes and reach the maximum effect in 3-5 minutes. If taking 1 nitroglycerin tablet is ineffective, take it again after 5 minutes, and repeat this 3 times. If it is still ineffective, the possibility of myocardial infarction or other diseases should be considered. Do not increase the dosage and call an ambulance immediately. Taking a large amount of nitroglycerin in a short period of time may cause hypotension and even delay the treatment of myocardial infarction.

2. It is best to take it while sitting or semi-lying

Nitroglycerin can dilate the coronary arteries and veins to significantly increase the venous capacity. When taking the medicine while standing, due to the effect of gravity, blood will accumulate in the lower limbs, which can easily cause insufficient blood supply to the brain, and then cause postural hypotension, dizziness, falls, and even induce syncope and other adverse events; while taking the medicine while lying down will make the blood return to the heart faster.

The rapid increase in blood pressure will increase the heart load and fail to achieve the purpose of quickly relieving angina pectoris. Therefore, it is best to take the medicine in a sitting or semi-recumbent position, and remember to maintain the original position for 15 minutes after taking the medicine.

3. Carry it with you and use it for no more than six months after opening the bottle.

Many people carry nitroglycerin with them in case of emergency. However, nitroglycerin is unstable and highly volatile, and it is more likely to evaporate when heated. It needs to be placed in a brown frosted glass bottle, which must be sealed and protected from light, and the number of times the bottle is opened should be reduced. In addition, the shelf life of nitroglycerin after opening is generally 3 to 6 months. When opening a new bottle of nitroglycerin, be sure to indicate the opening time and pay close attention to its expiration date. Expired nitroglycerin must not be taken.

4. It is effective when taken during acute attacks of angina pectoris, but taking it every day is counterproductive.

Long-term or large-scale use of nitroglycerin can cause the human body to develop resistance to it. Once the body develops resistance to nitroglycerin, the drug responsiveness of nitroglycerin will be greatly reduced. Therefore, it is not recommended for patients to take large amounts of nitroglycerin for a long time.