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Prinzmetal's Angina question

Posted , 9 users are following.

sharon_99435
sharon_99435

I was diagnosed with Prinzmetal's last June. At the time I was told, and I've also read that it is transient--that it often resolves itself... has anyone diagnosed with Prinzmetal's experienced their condition resolving??? I have had a few serious attacks while driving and am currently on medical leave because I'm not supposed to drive on the highway--just curious as to whether I can expect this to go away, or whether I'm likely stuck with it... thx.

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • richard87134
    richard87134 sharon_99435

    Posted

    I was diagnosed last Summer with cardiac spasm/small vessel disease which is basically the same as Prinzmetal's. Despite medication i am bothered daily by this debilitating disease which so far has shown no signs of letting up.

  • samuels
    samuels sharon_99435

    Posted

    Hi sharon,

    It is suppose to resolve as you age, Prinzmetal angina usually occurs in patients  aged around early 20's to early 40's and can be persistant in that period, however it can also last a patients life time as many can atest in here, I'm well past my early 40's with no sign of it letting up.

  • andrew22534
    andrew22534 sharon_99435

    Posted

    Hi Sharon, mine was firstoccuring when i was 50... diagnosed when i was 511/2 so not always a younger persons problem... stress was my root.. along with intermittent arrhythmia (flecanide pill in the pocket controlled) and after my 5th cardioversion..... (one i had problems with and was a bit lucky to be broughtback...) now 55 and still with chest pains drink gtn and take calcium channel blocker... needing review to tryand find new drugsetor doage levels...  life changeing...  
    • samuels
      samuels andrew22534

      Posted

      Hi andrew,

      Yes sure is life changing. I was first diagnosed at the age of 32 ( ish ) with microvascular spasms with a change in diagnosis about 8 - 10 years ago, as each year comes it seems to get worse, I'm now into my early 50's , well 51 and a half to be precise smile

      You sound like me "drink" the GTN smile once a bad attack gets a hold that doesn't even last a minute in relieving the pain / spasms. I'm apparently on the max doses for this condition, I'm apparently above the allowable GP prescribed (generally) of Cardizem, 600 Mg's daily, although that is broken up, 360 in AM and 240 in the PM. One drug that stopped the night time spasms up until recently, why it only stopped the night time spasms and not the day time ones I am at a loss, but as I mentioned it did stop my night time spasms, the drug is called Perhexiline ( Pexsig ) It's only prescribed in Australia and New Zealand to the best of my knowledge because other doctors over yonder seem to think it's a dangerous drug, it can cause toxicity but a simple blood test can rule any of that out and they can also see if the drug is at therapeutic levels, mine wasn't so was bumped up a 100 Mg , I believe the maximum dose a day for this drug is 300Mg, I'm on 100Mg X 2 daily. I think this is why doctors over yonder think this drug is out of their way because of regular blood tests , I only ever needed 2, just to check for toxicity and to check therapeutic levels, I dare say I would have to have another blood test to see where it's at now if it's not now controlling the night time spasms.

  • cher42845
    cher42845 sharon_99435

    Posted

    HI I was daignosed when I wa 41 and I am 63 now. When I was first diagnosed placed on calcium channel blockers & had no attacks fro years. Then a week or so with attacks every couple years. Then in 2010 I developed hypoxia , bradycardia, tachycardia, BP's sparatically up tp 236/xx,. hypothyroid, Hyperparathyroid. Since then I was daignosed with Friber Muscular Dysplasia & Tracheobronchomalacia. Trachobronchoplasty dec 2015 as well as so far two angioplsties on renal arteris. 2010-2012 I was having angine attacks every 1 - 1 1/2 hours. Many Many ER visits & Hospitals.  I did EECP to grow new vessels in heart and changes in meds and things calmed down some. But I am on long term disability. In past two months I was in hospital 4 tiemson IV Nitro. I had a spasm caaue a NSTEMI dec 2016. Workignon Cardaic rehab but 4 days now they had to pul me off rehab for angian that did not stop in class. So it really depends on if you have mroe triggers that keep causing the SPasms. I get spasms with all the things that kicked in Hypertension, Hypotention, tachy, brady, hypoxia, irreguar beats, thyroid issues. As well as caffiene, herbs that speed heart up, cold, severe stress etc. But I have been told that I am worse then most patients. There are some folkd on the board tha are much better then I am.

    • cher42845
      cher42845

      Posted

      I am on Verapimil, Nephedipine long acting , L-arginine 3000 3x day, Plavix, Spirolatin, potsium, magnesium.  With attack I crack fast acting Nephedipine 10 mg liquid gell under tongue, Followed by Nitro spray every 5 minutes up to 3x , followed by Nephedipine 10 mg liquid gel. Then if not resolved ER for IV Nitro. I have tried man many other meds. Many made it worse. Beta blockers are horrible thye really kick it in as well as Dicyclomine, Ergonovine , Methacholine, Metoprolol, Nebivolol Hcl , Ergot Alkaloids, Isometh-dichloral-acetaminophn all cause  ANGINA,
  • amy91711
    amy91711 sharon_99435

    Posted

    I haven't heard of it resolving itself. Interesting.   

    I've had "little" spasms since my 20's.  The typical, just watching tv and the left arm goes numb and the chest pain makes me hunch over, but I never did anything about it. About 5 years ago (when I was nearing 50,) I had a very serious attack. 

    Since then I have only had a half-dozen really bad attacks. (Several of the "little" kind.) But, I live in California, and I tend to treat them the way we treat earthquakes. It has my attention, and I sit (as if listenintg)  to see if it is going to get better or worse. 

    I have noticed that mine are exacerbated by a drastic change in temperature from warm to cold. For example, one time I had opened the front door with gusto and was blasted in the face with freezing cold air. Another I was running to the car to get to an emergency and ran straight into a cold blast. One time, I was in my warm bed and my husband had left the window open over our heads, and another was when I was in a hotel room and the AC was on and it got really, really cold. Each time, about 15 to 30 minutes later, I was in full throttle!

    All this to say, try to keep track and see if there is any correlation. That helps me to manage things a little better. 

    I am on a calcium blocker, and that is the best medicine. (Beta blockers are a big no-no!) That really works for me. I don't know how people live with spasms four and five times a day.  Mine is scary, but I'm ok with it for now. 

    Seems like you should be able to get stable on calcium channel blockers and drive again. You'll know to pull over if you feel the tight chest and sudden inablility to breathe.  Stay warm!

    Best of luck

    • cher42845
      cher42845 amy91711

      Posted

      They just figured this out with me. They had put me on CoQ10 ... Warning for anyone on heart meds and taking CoQ10 if the active ingredient in the CoQ10 is bioperine Metabolizing Enzymes: CYP1A1, CYP1B1, CYP1B2, CYP2E1, CYP3A4 are inhibited or induced by piperine. In my case two of my heart meds had not been getting metabolized so reduced the effectiveness sending me into major Coronary Artery Spasms and blood pressure issue.
    • samuels
      samuels amy91711

      Posted

      Hi amy,

      I'm on 600 Mg of Cardizem (Dlitiazem ) daily, it helped for awhile but the body just gets use to the medications, you build up a tolerence to them all, there is one and I believe it's a calcium channel blocker as well, I'd have to double check that, it's called Perhexiline (Pexsig) as far as I know it is only prescribed in Australia and New Zealand, it is considered by others as causing toxicty, simple blood tests can keep an eye on that and prevent it from occurring but I think that's why others through out the world do not use it for this reason, blood tests being involved to monitor ( cost effectiveness in other words )

      It worked for me for a good while, completely stopped the night time spasms for well over 12 months, however for what ever reason it didn't stop the day time spasms, it's getting colder here now and I have a lot of high emotional stress going on with a 12 Y.O son making bad decisions in his early life, these are the main triggers at the moment, now occurring again at night, although not as often as I use to before being put onto Perhexiline, it is actually used for refractory angina, the Perhexiline 

    • amy91711
      amy91711 samuels

      Posted

      I can't really comment, since I've not had any resistence to medicine. I've been on some meds for over 10 years and have no problem. 

      And, I've never known Prinzmetal to be related to stress. It's just an involuntary spasm. (But, I don't have any other cardiac issues.)  So, just try to watch the weather. And keep looking up. Count the rainbows. Not the rain 

    • samuels
      samuels amy91711

      Posted

      Yes I've had this problem for over 10 years and also back then I had a different diagnosis, they called it microvascular angina but changed that diagnosis to prinzmetal angina, my cardiologist did warn me that I will become less tolerant to the medication, I can literally drink GTN during a severe attack. I didn't fully understand why stress would trigger an attack either but it was explained pretty well to me on here by Andrew from memory, the efect it has on the body and how it sends arteries into spasms.The real cause of prinzmetal angina is actually lack of nitric oxide produced in the endothelium and if you have a weird lipid  profile this can also absorb /eat away the nitric oxide in the endothelium causing the spasms, that's how the cardiologists explained it to me, my weird lipids were causing the coronary artery spasms.

  • Delparc
    Delparc sharon_99435

    Posted

    During the 1980s I had angina which was not caused by stress or exercise. I had been a vegetarian for 18 years and later discovered that it was the high incidence of polyunsaturated fats in my diet which was clogging the arteries. I was prescribed nitrates which gave severe migraines so opted not to take them. I discovered that when I took vitamin B6 it relieved the pain without adverse side-effects. There is a substance available with the generic name of serrapeptase. It has to be taken on an empty stomach with nothing to eat for an hour afterwards to work its magic. It clears arteries of plaque, clears phlegm from the lungs, and is a good anti-inflammatory. The medical profession know of it but do not disclose its benefits. It prevent cardiac by-passes
    • Delparc
      Delparc

      Posted

      As an addendum to the above reply, I had a quadruple by-pass 1990 and Co-Q10, at high dosage levels, helped considerably during recovery. Had I left my recovery to the physicians I probably would not be here today. Currently, I am 86 but regrettably suffering from the ailments of advanced old-age. Seeking to live a long life may not be the best choice.
  • richard87134
    richard87134 sharon_99435

    Posted

    Hi, i was diagnosed with cardiac spasm and small vessel disease after an angiogram last Summer. The medication helps a fair bit but am still troubled with extreme fatigue and exercise intolerance, think that is just a side affect from heart disease to be honest.
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