Imdur side affects

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Hi I have been diagnosed with microvascular angina. I take Imdur which is a nitrate tablet and the dose was increased from 30mg to 60mg and this will be increased again soon. But I have noticed that I feel worse. I get more chest pains and am able to be even less active. My pulse and or blood pressure also rise with minimal excersise.

Has anyone else experienced simular when first having their dosage increased? Should I persevere as I only increased the dose 5 days ago, or am I not tolerating the drug?

Tried contacting my cardiologist but haven't heard back yet?

Thanks!

2

Sorry to hear about your increase in symptoms. This may have nothing to do with the nitrates.

Personally I would let my gp know as they seem able to get a quicker response from a cardiologist.

Good luck. X

3

Hi gracey,

Unfortunately that is one of the side effects of Imdur ....chest pain, you will need to discuss this with your Dr or Cardiologist as the side effect may wear off as your body gets use to the increased dose, unfortunately, while this medication is good for angina your body will become immune to it and if you suffer coronary or blood vessel (heart vessel ) spasms they will start up again in time. I experienced chest pain when first put onto Imdur.

4

Hi Fiona. I'm going to see my gp tomorrow just to make sure. Thanks x

5

Hi!

Thanks for your help.

Strangely enough I'm starting to feel more stable. It was quite scary before because I felt so much worse initially. I was getting chest pains just getting up and taking a couple of steps. Now the Imdur is working knowing that it will eventually stop working is annoying. I know you are right because I was on the lowest dose before until I was recently diagnosed and I know it stopped working and I was in and out of A&E many times. Until yesterday the increased dose made me even worse, but I'm glad I'm starting to feel more myself.

Im trying to get back to work. I am concerned I'm going to have a lot of up's and down's with my health. I've been trying to find out if people manage work with this condition. I am trying to be hopeful but realistic. My cardiologist says I should be fine. But my role at work is hectic with a lot of running around. I spend about 5% of my working day in an office, 95%running around from place to place in all weathers.

My husband is in denial. He is adamant that once the medication starts working I will be back to normal. But I know things won't be that easy.

My dilemma, do I stay working or will this make my health decline further?????

I'm sorry, I'm at a cross road and just don't know what to do for the best.

Thanks for your help x

6

Hi gracey,

Providing the medication continues to work you should be fine, I don't know a lot about micro vascular angina, I have been told I suffer from prinzmetal angina which doesn't respond to any treatment really, it does help to start off with but like any medication your body gets used to it. My diagnosis is up in the air at the moment, I have 2 1\ 2 cardiologists say I have prinzmetal angina and my regular cardiologist saying he thinks it might be something different, the reason I said 2 and a half cardiologists is because my original cardiologist is semi retired and doesn't work in the public health system anymore, I asked him if the diagnosis of prinnzmetal angina was correct, his response was "in theory yes...in practise no " if you can make sense of that.

I know these conditions are debillitating but we all must have to try and stay at work and for those that can't should find something to do as it will keep us occupied and to an extent keep some sort of fitness up, with no kind of fitness level people will decline further. only you will know if you should stop or keep going to work.

7

Hi Samuel

Not knowing exactly what is wrong let alone not having medication that helps, must be very frustrating and worrying at times. I do hope the can be more precise in the not too distant future.

Great advice as always from you, thanks for that. I will try to stay employed but may be go part time.

All the best to you! x

8

Aopologies for not answering your query but can I ask how you were diagnosed with microvascular angina and your symptoms? I saw my GP about chest pains and he sent me for all the usual tests. I didn't have angina and was told my heart was fine. Because I still get tightness in my chest when on inclines and have to stop and wait for it to go away, I asked my doctor about MA and he said it was really hard to diagnose and nothing more has been done. I'm struggling with chest tightness still so feel I would like more investigation. 

Many thanks if you are able to reply

9

Hi Lama

About 8months ago I started feeling tired and a bit dizzy. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on medication for this. Within 4 days I was hospitalised because my heart just would not stop racing. It was presumed I was intolerant to this medication. I have been very unwell ever since then.

I can't walk far without chest pain. I get breathless, get pain in my neck and jaw. Sometimes in my back and collar bone or down my right arm. When I check my blood pressure, sometimes it is high, but most of the time my pulse rate is high. My pulse rate can get high when I just stand sometimes.

Like you, all my tests have been quite normal. However my cardiologist believes I may have microvascular angina. Although I'm not sure if I may have been misdiagnosed and actually have PoTS.

Before my diagnosis which was just 3 weeks ago, I was put on Imdur. I presume because of the symptoms I described. I have not been able to function very well and have been off work for nearly 8 months.

Even with the Imdur I am still very limited in what I can do. I walked at normal speed the other day and felt like I strained my heart.....terrible!

In about 4 weeks they may give me another drug to slow my heart down. Sounds awful to me, but I was told it will help.

For me they treated my symptoms before really knowing I had anything medically wrong. Now it will be hard for me to get off them if they got things wrong.

All I know since being put on my first blood pressure medication, my health has spiralled downwards.

I'm not sure if I do have microvascular angina, but if I have then I may have been predisposed to getting it in the first place. I always knew since I was about 18 yes old, that I wasn't able to do a certain amount of excesise without my pulse going through the roof, then get chest pain. But now it takes very little for me to get like this.

Anyway, I hope you get to the bottom of your problem and hope you actually start feeling better soon.

All the best!

10

Many many thanks for replying so quickly and I hope you do start to feel better soon. I suppose it proves my GP was right, diagnosis is a complicated matter. My blood pressure is fine and my only symptoms are the awful chest pain on exertion and how it passes when I stand still. I don't get breathless.

I will see my GP again in the New Year and see if I can see a consultant. Again, thanks and I wish you well

11

No problem!

My problem did seem to be only on exertion. But like you say, I stopped and after a while I felt ok. I never went to my doctor at this point and just thought I was unfit. It took many years before I got to the stage I am at now.

Anyway, as long the best and good luck