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prinzmetals angina

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I have had prinzmetal's angina for over 7 years. Information about prinzmetal's says that pain occurs at night while in bed. Well not in my case. I get angina pain in the day time as well at night. Does anyone out there get pain in the day as I do ? I get pain at anytime, when it is cold or when I feel stressed and sometimes activity brings it on. I am taking a lot of medication for it , can't be without the nitro spray. Am having a lot of bad days lately hope to have a few good days soon.

Because prinzmetals is rare I feel a bit lonely having it , even though there are people who have the usual angina. It would be good to talk to somebody who prinzmetals.

14 likes, 699 replies

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  • neale
    neale Guest

    Posted

    Hi Andrew

    yes prof Kaski has been brilliant.  I was referred there from Leicester hospital trust after for heart attacks in February. Am doing really fine now,  long may it last!  Thanks for your help.

  • Bettebet
    Bettebet Guest

    Posted

    I am curious about the side effects of medicines a they relate to Prinzmetal Angina.

    Seratonin Reuptake inhibitors, Antihistimines etc.

    Any clinicla research input would be welcome

    • samuels
      samuels Bettebet

      Posted

      Hi Bettabet,

      The research I have been doing on Prinzmetal Angina is just really about the condition and treatments (Primary treatments - not trials)  and there are Homopathic medicines that can be used like in all conditions but I'm not a convinced believer of this avenue.

      The only Anti Depressant that is used to treat Prinzmetal, well for better words to block the pain, I say block the pain as this drug isn't used for depression in PM Angina it's used for it's pain blocking abilities and I have been informed that it isn't an SSRI ....The name of this drug is called amitriptyline, I don't know the statistics in regards to this drug and treatment of Prinzmetal but I can't take it as I suffer  the nasty side effects from this drug.... well any anti depressant drug regardless of family. I can honestly say that I have not heard of Anti Depressants being used to treat Prinzmetal Angina, I have seen and also experienced it where the specialist tends to think you don't have Prinzmetal Angina and prescribe Anti Depressants for Panic/anxiety or depression in the hope that your chest pain goes away....I'm not sure of the correct doctor terminology but they get it into their heads that because the tests come back negative...you don't have it, know what I mean....don't quote me on this but I think they call it Idiopathic, not sure. My original Cardiologist diagnosed me with micro spasms, he went into retirement so I had to find another Cardiologist and was warned that he will want to do all the tests again, that part was true, I had repeat tests and nothing had worsened, I was admitted to hospitl back in November of last year and was seen by a different Cardiologist and I had a few questions I wanted him to answer and he agrees with a diagnosis made by an emergency doctor about 8 years ago of Prinzmetal Angina.....he suggested amitriptyline and I informed him that I can't tolerate those kind of drugs so he steered away from them, he bumped my Cardizem up to 480Mg a day and it has helped tremendously.

    • Bettebet
      Bettebet

      Posted

      I am not looking for a anti depressant to treat prinzmetal variant angina.

      I want know if they cause or make it worse.

      Also the if cetrizine hydrochloride can cause or make prinzetal angina worse

      Are there any foods that make it worse?

      Or body care products? Creams, perfumes, lotions, deodorants?

       

    • samuels
      samuels Bettebet

      Posted

      Hi Bettebet,

      That would be a question for your Pharmacist, I remember seeing certain drugs used for Prinzmetal Angina treatment that could have effects on how the drug intereacts with the other..I.E Monodur and an SSRI (now I'm not saying that these 2 drugs have interactivity issues because I honestly don't know) but I do remember seeing some angina drugs should be reviewed by your GP if certain anti depressents are going to be prescribed for another condition.

      I haven't found food, deodorant or powder making my Prinzmetal Angina worse.

    • Bettebet
      Bettebet samuels

      Posted

      I did ask the pharmacist here in the US.

      I am seeking research elsewhere.

      Hence I was asking this forum if anyone any research in this regard.

      I'm not caught it's not a question of mixing medicines.

      I want to know the short and long term side effects of antidepressant and various antihistamine.

      If anyone comes across any research and let me know I would appreciate it.

    • Bettebet
      Bettebet

      Posted

      that should read it's not a matter of mixing medicines
    • cathymcphee
      cathymcphee Bettebet

      Posted

      I posted a reply to your question a few days ago. Refer to that post for how the medications you listed impact Prinzmetal.
  • cathymcphee
    cathymcphee Guest

    Posted

    Hey Bettebet! It sounded like you might have been asking if there are there any negative effects that those medications cause for patients that have Prinzmetal.  If I have it wrong, just disregard my response.

    Over all, the Selective Seratonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) are the safest anti-depressent for people with heast issues, which is one of the reason why they are prescibed with such great frequency.  However, it is the worst class of anti-depressent for Prinzmetal patients.  They have been proven to cause coronary vasospasm.  If you are currently taking it, call your doctor and have them discontinue it (call first as some psychiatric medications need to be weaned off, and I can't remember off the top of my head if SSRIs fall into that group).  

    There are different types of anti-histamine drugs.  Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) doesn't cause issues for Prinzmetal spasms, but it can cause/contribute to a severe but incredibly serious different problem. This is a simple break down of what happens. The phase of the heart beat that is after it has finished it's beat is called the QT interval (called by QT segment by some people).  Benadryl can prolong this phase of the heart beat. If it gets too long, and the heart might try to start a new beat before the QT interval is complete. This can cause your heart to go into a rhythm (or lack of rhythm ) called ventricular fibrillation (VF) that can cause immediate death if not shocked within a few minutes. This is called an "R on T phenomenon".  The "R" and "T" refer to two other parts of the cardiac cycle. You should be able to Google the term for a more in depth explanation. Look for one with diagrams to it easier to understand.  One of the things that an EKG shows is the QT interval, so you can ask anyone that has done one on you if you have a long QT interval.  While Benadryl has been shown to prolong the QT interval, it is extremely rare, and if you don't have that normally on your own, the chances of it happening are almost 0%.  My QT is within the normal limits and I do take Benadryl as needed, but not with any regularity.  

    I have not seen or heard of the other anti-histamines (Claritin, etc.) causing any cardiac issues.  Ask your cardiologist or pharmacists.

    Hope this was helpful and easy to understand. 

    • Bettebet
      Bettebet cathymcphee

      Posted

      Thank you for this.

      Do you have citations on the research ?

    • samuels
      samuels Bettebet

      Posted

      Hi Bettebet,

      Something I found along the way, it's not a really newish study but "apparently was conducted last year in regards to Anti Depressants including SSRI's.... a quick quote from the sites "story at a  glance"

      "One in 10 American adults suffer from depression, and 11 percent of the US population over the age of 12 is taking at least one antidepressant medicationAntidepressant use has been linked to thicker arteries, which could contribute to the risk of heart disease and stroke. In one study, the thickness of the main neck arteries in men taking antidepressants was about five percent thicker than that of those who were not using the drugs

      Last year, the FDA issued a safety alert on the antidepressant Celexa, warning it can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of your heart, which can lead to abnormal heart rhythm and fatal heart attacks

      In another large study, menopausal women taking tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs were 45 percent more likely to suffer a fatal stroke than those not taking an antidepressant. Their overall mortality rate was also 32 percent higher

      Other serious side effects of antidepressants include: suicide, violence and homicidal tendencies, type 2 diabetes, brittle bones, stillbirths, immune problems, conversion from unipolar depression to the more severe diagnosis of bipolar illness, and cognitive decline with long-term use"

      I will post link up,it usually has to be looked at by a site moderator, if they deem it not related they won't allow it to be linked.

      Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the link below as it was to a site unsuitable for inclusion in the forums. If users want this information please use the Private Message service to request the details.

      http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

    • cathymcphee
      cathymcphee Bettebet

      Posted

      No. I'm a former nurse with Prinzmetal. I worked in ICU, ER, a cardiac cath lab and a clinic that specialized in blood thinners. As a result, I knew many cardiologists before getting Prinzmetal and was already very educated on cardiology. This is info known by pretty much any cardiologist or pharmacist. It is common knowledge in that field.
    • cathymcphee
      cathymcphee

      Posted

      Your best place for good info that is specific for you is your cardiologist or a pharmacist at a small pharmacy. That way you get to know the pharmacist, they take an interest in you personally, really get to know your medical history, any potential issues that may and what your knowledge base is on various topics so they talk to you at your level. Even with my background and knowledge, it's what I do. If you start going to various websites, two things can happen, and this is also well known in the medical community. Anyone can spin a test to show what they want and it happens all the time. You simply exclude the people or info that would show anything against what you are trying to prove. Happens all the time for a number of reasons that I won't go into now. The other thing is that unless you are a medical professional with a cardiology background, you don't have the knowledge base to properly understand the info. No problem in the body is a stand alone issue not effecting other parts. You have to understand how things effect the entire machine. I wouldn't expect to read physics studies and understand their meaning and how it applies to my life. Additionally, I have found that when people start reading medical info they don't understand, they end up more worried than they need to be, thinking they have all kinds of really rare things that they don't fit the profile for. I'm not trying to talk down to you in any way. Please don't take it that way. I have just seen so many people focus on one tiny thing and ignore the bigger picture due to lack of understanding. If you still really want to read medical journals, ask which ones your cardiologist or pharmacist find best. But it won't be cheap. The ones that are most reliable require an annual subscription and it's not cheap. But I warn you the reading is very dry, lol. You will have access to good raw data that you can bring to your cardiologist or pharmacist for discussion. Even though I am an educated medical professional, I still rely on my cardiologist's or personal pharmacist's opinion as being far superior to my own.
    • Bettebet
      Bettebet cathymcphee

      Posted

      Hi Cathy

      I appreciate your input and feedback.

      I intend on researching the studies and conditions and the affect that various drugs can have as well as diet and other influences, on the body.

      I will be using local college databases that include medical journals.

      Of course online research will be balanced with pharacist and cardiologist input. However it has been my experience that even these professionals are not versed in everything.

      It seems you are more versed than most.

      And here in the USA the pharamaceutical companies are somewhat compromised by patents and profits.

      Thank you again.

       

    • samuels
      samuels

      Posted

      Hi,

      Does this forum Moderator still have my link that was denied yesterday still handy ? reason I ask is I've had computer problems and had to do a restore and lost link even from my favorites......

    • samuels
      samuels

      Posted

      Hi Bettebet,

      I'm not real sure why the Moderator wouldn't allow my link as I believe it was relevent to your question,But hey I don't make the forum rules smile  Some people may not realise that Prinzmetal Angina alone (that is with out any other heart condition/disease) can still land you in Emergency with a hear attack ( full blown MI ) or at the smaller scaled end of  an NSTEMI (mild heart attack) where the heart can actually repair itself from the damage caused by the lack of oxygen at the time of the mild event.

      Prinzmetal is a tricky condition and many Cardiologist take this condition to lightly

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