Treating chest pain with medications

When someone is experiencing chest pain due to  coronary artery disease (CAD) or coronary heart disease, the Lakewood ASC cardiologists may prescribe medications that help alleviate discomfort and allow the patient to have a better quality of life. 

What causes chest pain?

Coronary heart disease occurs when the blood vessels that feed the heart become narrowed or blocked by fatty deposits.  The heart doesn’t get enough blood and heart muscle must work harder to pump oxygen-rich blood through the body. A patient may experience chest pain, or Angina, especially during physical activity. 

Your Lakewood ASC cardiologist has options to ease chest pain. The medications work to increase the blood flow to the heart while reducing the amount of work the heart muscle must do.

Medicines to treat angina

There are four types of medicines that cardiologists use to treat angina. Sometimes a patient may take just one medicine, or the specialists may have to try a few different ones before they find a treatment that works best for the patient.

Nitrates are commonly prescribed and come in a variety of forms, including pills or powders that are placed under the tongue or swallowed, oral sprays, skin patches, and ointments. 

Beta blockers are another type of medication that is usually taken once or twice daily. Many patients experience fatigue when they first start taking beta blockers. 

If a patient experiences serious side-effects from beta blockers, has chest pain even while taking nitrates and beta blockers, or has other health problems, your Lakewood ASC cardiologist may prescribe calcium channel blockers. This medication causes a variety of side effects such as flushing, dizziness, headaches and constipation depending on which kind of calcium channel blocker you take. 

Ranolazine is another medication used to treat angina. It is typically prescribed when the patient doesn’t get relief even if they take a combination of nitrates, beta blockers or calcium channel blockers. Dizziness is a common side effect from this medication. 

You should let your Lakewood ASC medical team, serving The Villages, Leesburg, Wildwood and areas throughout Lake County, Sumter County and Marion County, know if you experience side effects so they can help identify the best treatment to alleviate chest pain.