The best drugs for heart pain - Cardiology and cardiac surgery

October 12, 2021

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The international classification of cardiac drugs includes a group of cardiac glycosides, antiarrhythmic drugs, non-glycoside cardiotonic drugs, peripheral vasodilators and other cardiac drugs. They are intended for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases with various pathologies.

Cardiac glycosides restore the functioning of the heart muscle, eliminate arrhythmia and stimulate heart activity. Obtained from plants: foxglove, lily of the valley, adonis.
Antiarrhythmic drugs eliminate disruptions and restore normal heart rhythm. Prescribed for the treatment of arrhythmia, tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation.
Non-glycoside cardiotonic drugs stimulate the heart and increase contraction of the heart muscle. Used in case of diagnosis of heart failure, hypotension.
Peripheral vasodilators dilate blood vessels and help normalize blood circulation. They facilitate the work of the heart and increase the saturation of vital organs with oxygen.
Other heart medications include a wide range of medications that help quickly improve heart function.

What pills help with heart pain

June 28, 2021
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Content

What kind of heart pills are there?
Causes of heart pain
Symptoms of a heart attack
Top 5 best pills for heart pain
Validol
Nitroglycerine
Corvalol
Novo-Passit
Cardiket

It is important to remember the main thing: if there is pain in the heart area, this symptom should never be ignored and you need to see a doctor as soon as possible to get examined. Only a doctor, having found out the cause of heart pain, can prescribe the necessary treatment. In addition, your home medicine cabinet should contain medications for heart pain that can, if necessary, relieve discomfort.

Pain in the heart is not a disease in itself, but only a symptom that indicates a number of problems: from dangerous conditions when the heart muscle is affected, to diseases of organs that are in close proximity to the heart (lungs, bronchi, pleura, stomach, lymph nodes, ligaments, muscles, bones). But in any case, enduring chest pain and ignoring it is very dangerous. You definitely need to find out the reason!

Popular drugs for heart pain

The classification of cardiac drugs includes drugs that relieve acute pain and various painful sensations in the heart area. These include:

Antiarrhythmics, Panangin or Asparkam, Cordarone, Amiodarone, Cardiodarone;
Anticoagulants: Angioks, Heparin sodium, others;
Acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin), Valsartan;
β-blockers: Sotalol, Timolol, Concor, Biprol, containing Bisoprolol and others.

These medications are prescribed after a heart attack.

Popular drugs include:

Valerian, Corvalol (drops and tablets p/o) with a pronounced sedative effect.
Nitroglycerin, Validol, Cormentol with a moderate vasodilator effect.
Novo-passit, Persen-cardio with sedative and antiarrhythmic effects.
Kratal, Cardiplant, stimulating myocardial activity.
Panangin, Asparkam contains potassium and magnesium salts of aspartic acid, indicated for combination therapy of coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias in case of overdose of cardiac glycosides.

What kind of heart pills are there?

The most important rule: pills for heart pain should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor who knows your diagnosis. It happens that you have to take several medications with different active ingredients. All pills for heart pain are divided into several groups.

Nitrates.
Such drugs help if the heart hurts due to angina pectoris; they are prescribed to people who have had a heart attack. Nitrates dilate blood vessels and reduce blood pressure, therefore they are prohibited for hypotensive patients when there is a suspicion of cardiac tamponade, collapse and shock.
Peripheral vasodilators.
These heart medications improve blood circulation by dilating blood vessels. Prescribed to slow the development of chronic heart failure. Contraindications: childhood and tendency to edema.
Sedatives and reflex agents.
Such medications are prescribed if pain in the heart has a stressful cause, caused by cardioneurosis, VSD. Such drugs for heart pain should not be taken by children, hypotensive patients and people with cerebral circulation problems.
Beta blockers.
These remedies for heart pain are indicated for people with hypertension. The dosage of beta blockers is determined strictly by the doctor and they are taken over a long course. Contraindications: shock and slow pulse.
Calcium channel inhibitors.
Similar heart medications are prescribed to people recovering from a heart attack, as well as for ischemia and arrhythmias.
For AV blockade, calcium channel inhibitors are prohibited. Read also: Popular drugs for lowering cholesterol Top 5 drugs for lowering cholesterol levels in the blood.

Causes of heart pain

Without an examination, it is impossible to determine the exact cause of heart pain. Moreover, pain on the left side of the chest does not always mean problems with the heart - these can be organs located next to the heart, and even far from it (abdominal organs).

Potential causes of heart pain include conditions that require urgent hospitalization and problems that can be treated at home (after examination and diagnosis, of course).

The most common causes of cardiac and extracardiac pain:

acute diseases of the heart or blood vessels;
angina pectoris (stable or unstable), when the heart hurts at rest or during exercise;
acid reflux (reflux of acid from the stomach into the esophagus), heartburn, GERD;
muscle damage or strain, bone diseases (sternum, ribs, vertebrae);
osteochondrosis;
diseases of the respiratory system.

The most serious condition for heart pain is, of course, a heart attack. In addition to excruciating pain in the heart, a person experiences shortness of breath, severe weakness, a feeling of fear, and cold sweat. If you have heart pain, you do not need to use home remedies for pain (especially if you did not have such heart pain before or it has become more severe, with new symptoms). Consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis.

Drugs to prevent heart disease

Healthy heart

It is impossible to treat the heart or prevent problems with it in isolation from the whole organism. Yes, the heart is the most important organ that works throughout life and ensures blood circulation in our body. But for its normal operation, it is necessary to provide it with optimal operating conditions. The heart itself is a muscular organ. This means that to contract muscle cells (cardiomyocytes), oxygen, nutrients, and removal of metabolic products are required. The coronary vessels surround the heart muscle and supply it with blood.

For coordinated work with other organs, it is connected with them through the nervous system and hormones circulating in the blood into one whole. We run and our heart beats faster, but at night, on the contrary, it slows down. Blood viscosity and its quantity also affect the functioning of the heart. The condition of the arteries and veins also determines whether it is easy or difficult to pump blood. Even physical activity can help in its work. Thus, the muscles of the foot and lower leg can rightfully be considered a “second heart”, since their contractions when walking help overcome the force of gravity and return blood upward through the vessels.

The work of the parts of the heart themselves must be coordinated with each other. Full contractions of the ventricles and atria should alternate with periods of relaxation when the muscle “rests”.

How the disease develops

Our body has a large margin of safety against damage and the ability to adapt even if some of the mechanisms “break down”. That is, the disease does not appear immediately. Atherosclerosis is considered one of the main causes of heart problems. It leads to damage to the walls of blood vessels and a gradual narrowing of its lumen. These processes continue for many years and can proceed completely unnoticed. This means that when any symptom of problems with the heart or blood vessels appeared, the body stopped coping with them. It is impossible to predict in advance where an atherosclerotic plaque will grow in a coronary vessel, on the wall of the heart valve or in the arteries of the brain. It can also break away from the wall of the vessel and clog any narrow artery with the blood flow. In this case, could there be a “magic pill” that, by taking it, can “clean” blood vessels or cure the heart? Unfortunately no. After all, even after coronary artery bypass surgery there are no guarantees that this will not happen again.

Risk factors

It turned out that the presence or absence of risk factors plays a major role in the prevention of problems with the heart and blood vessels. The same ones that accumulate their potential for many years, and then “suddenly” are realized in the form of heart attacks and strokes.

Risk factors:

Arterial hypertension
Hypercholesterolemia
Smoking
Insufficient consumption of vegetables and fruits
Excess body weight
Excessive alcohol consumption
Physical inactivity

It is these factors that act for many years that lead to irreversible changes. Only by eliminating them and replacing them with the opposite ones can effective prevention of heart disease be carried out. If we talk about hereditary predisposition, then they will play even more importance.

For those people who already have heart problems, secondary prevention is necessary to avoid a recurrence of the acute situation. It also involves eliminating risk factors. But it also adds treatment and control of existing diseases.

Prevention

In addition to lifestyle changes, nutrition, and physical activity, various medications can be used to prevent heart disease. The purpose of their use is to reduce risk factors if this could not be done without drugs. In practical medicine, a doctor cannot force a patient to quit smoking, eat less and move more; the person must do this himself. You can start taking medications only as prescribed by a doctor, after undergoing tests and studies, since each drug has contraindications, and their combinations can increase side effects. Compliance with the treatment regimen will help correct current problems that directly affect the risk of heart attacks and strokes:

Arterial hypertension
Arrhythmias
Cardiac ischemia
Atherosclerosis
"High" cholesterol
Diabetes
Obesity

Drugs

Statins . Taking statins helps fight hyperlipidemia and prevents the development of atherosclerosis. Helps stabilize the surface of cholesterol plaques, which prevents the formation of blood clots. Taking these medications is necessary for life with periodic monitoring of biochemical blood tests for liver function. Therefore, before taking them, you should make every effort to correct your lipid profile first through diet. Some of the modern and studied statins are Crestor and Mertenil.

Antihypertensive drugs

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors Diroton, Prestarium A, Hartil
Angiotensin receptor blockers Valsacor, Aprovel
Beta blockers Concor, Betalok
Calcium antagonists Verapamil, Normodipine
Diuretics Hypothiazide, Arifon-retard

There are many groups of drugs with this effect. Their selection is made only by a specialist, since they may have additional effects on slowing heart rate when interacting with other drugs. Also, a combination of 2 several groups may be more effective. The bottom line is that even a decrease in pressure by only 5-10 mmHg. already reduces the risk of disaster.

Antiplatelet agents . Help prevent the formation of blood clots and improve blood flow. Must be prescribed by a doctor, as they can lead to bleeding. Aspirin is most often prescribed. Curantil, Clopidogrel, Pentoxifylline can also be used.

Antianginal drugs . Helps cope with attacks of ischemic pain during angina attacks. The most famous drug is Nitroglycerin

Metabolic drugs. Not all drugs in this group have a broad evidence base, but are also used in practice. They are designed to improve metabolic processes in cells and protect them from ischemia. These include Preductal (trimetazidine), Mildronate, ATP, cocarboxylase, Neoton.

It is also necessary to effectively treat diabetes mellitus, as it provokes the progression of atherosclerosis.

Prevention can only be effective in combination, and medications only provide support where our efforts and the body’s capabilities are exhausted.

Literature:

PREVENTION OF CHRONIC NON-INFECTIOUS DISEASES. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PREVENTION OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES. Recommendations 2013

Clinical recommendations. Arterial hypertension in adults. Russian Society of Cardiology 2019

Symptoms of a heart attack

You should call an ambulance for the following symptoms of myocardial infarction:

pain in the heart radiates to the jaw, neck, arm;
shortness of breath appeared;
nausea began;
clouding of consciousness;
my skin was covered in cold sweat.

By the way, women experience severe chest pain during a heart attack less often than men. Usually they have a feeling of tightness in the chest, tightness, nagging pain.

The heart may also hurt due to angina. What is angina? This is acute pain in the heart due to narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries. This condition also requires urgent medical attention.

Symptoms of angina

Unpleasant sensations in the chest are often described as a feeling of pressure, compression, heaviness, tightness, suffocation, burning, that is, angina is not always perceived as pain.
Discomfort and pain are usually localized behind the sternum. The pain can radiate (spread) to the left arm, under the left shoulder blade, and to the neck. Such irradiation is observed quite often. Sometimes the pain “radiates” to the right half of the chest, right arm, or to the lower jaw, or to the upper abdomen.

In some cases, pain or discomfort is not observed specifically behind the sternum, but only radiating pain. It is also possible that there is no pain at all, but so-called angina equivalents

: shortness of breath, sweating, severe fatigue, dizziness, etc.

A sign of angina pectoris is the paroxysmal nature of the pain. As a rule, pain occurs under conditions of increased heart activity (during physical activity or emotional stress). This type of disease is called angina pectoris.

. The attack lasts from one to 15 minutes. After which the patient experiences weakness (feels “broken”). A nitroglycerin tablet placed under the tongue helps (if nitroglycerin does not help, then the chest pain is probably caused by another disease other than angina). As a rule, with the onset of an attack, the patient stops the physical activity that caused it, and this is a condition for the cessation of pain. However, in some cases, the pain disappears even under conditions of continued stress (the so-called “passing through the pain”). And sometimes there is a “warming up” effect: at first the load causes pain, but after some time repeating the same load does not cause pain.

There is also angina at rest

. With this type of disease, pain may appear at night, and the patient wakes up from an attack of pain. Angina at rest is less common than angina at exertion, and is a more dangerous type of disease.

There are also stable

and
unstable angina
. In stable angina, a certain amount of exertion, when repeated, leads to a recurrence of the attack (an attack occurs at a certain level of exertion). Unstable angina is diagnosed as the disease progresses (the attack is caused by less and less load). This is a more dangerous condition. Unstable angina also includes spontaneous angina (attacks in this case are not caused by physical activity) and new-onset angina (attacks observed within a period of less than a month). New angina may regress (the attacks will stop), become stable or progressive.

Angina and other types of chest pain

Not all chest pain is angina. Pain can be caused by various reasons (in some cases, several at once), these can be:

other heart diseases (such as heart disease, aortitis, etc.);
osteochondrosis of the cervical or thoracic spine;
shingles;
intercostal neuralgia;
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (peptic ulcer, diseases of the esophagus);
lung diseases (pleurisy, pneumonia).

Pain caused not by ischemic heart disease, but by other reasons, is called cardialgia

. Cardialgia usually differs from angina in the nature of pain. In the case of cardialgia, the pain can be lightning fast, tingling, or vice versa - last for several hours or days. However, you should not try to diagnose yourself: pain in the heart area is serious. If such pain occurs, you should consult a doctor.

Angina and myocardial infarction

An attack of angina is not a heart attack. Pain during angina pectoris only indicates that the heart muscle is experiencing a temporary lack of nutrition. Once the situation returns to normal, nutrition will be restored.

However, it should be remembered that angina and heart attack are stages of the same process. If atherosclerosis progresses, angina will also progress, and this process may end with a heart attack. Therefore, angina (even stable) should not be treated as a necessary evil. Angina pectoris requires treatment, and above all, diagnosis of the condition of the blood vessels.

If an angina attack occurs for the first time, or the pain does not go away within 5 minutes after taking a nitroglycerin tablet (sublingually), you should call an ambulance.

Validol

This remedy for heart pain can be bought without a prescription; Validol is available in the form of tablets and capsules. This is perhaps the drug that you think of first when you feel pain in your heart. The active substance of heart tablets is a solution of levomenthol in menthyl isovalerate. “Validol” is prescribed for heart pain against the background of panic attacks, when a person has shortness of breath, malaise, sweating, a feeling of fear, panic, etc. Validol is taken for the heart when the pain does not depend on physical activity, it is always of varying intensity and does not has a clear localization. In parallel with such pain in the heart, there may be headaches, tingling in the chest, and tachycardia. Usually, with such heart pain, a person’s blood pressure does not change, and his general condition is normal. "Validol" is placed under the tongue, without drinking water, and slowly dissolves.

“Validol” for the heart reduces vascular spasms due to stress, relieves pain in the heart due to fatigue and VSD, it can be taken after alcohol or drug intoxication. Validol is also prescribed for vascular spasms during hormonal fluctuations in women (menopause).

"Validol" has almost no contraindications, gently dilates blood vessels and calms the nervous system. This drug is prescribed with caution during pregnancy, breastfeeding and diabetics. Due to the sedative effect, Validol should not be taken by drivers.

Validol

Pharmstandard-Leksredstva OJSC, Russia

Cardialgia;
Angina; Motion sickness syndrome (nausea, vomiting due to seasickness and air sickness); Hysteria; Neurosis; Headache while taking nitrates. from 11

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Nitroglycerine

Nitroglycerin comes in the form of tablets, sublingual capsules, injection solution and spray. You can buy a remedy for heart pain without a prescription. “Nitroglycerin” belongs to the class of nitrates, peripheral vasodilators (vasodilators). Nitroglycerin has long been a proven drug for angina pectoris (attacks of chest pain).

The active substance nitroglycerin relieves spasm in the coronary arteries, quickly expanding the walls of blood vessels; improves nutrition of the heart muscle, stimulating blood flow to it; relieves heart pain associated with spasm.

“Nitroglycerin” acts instantly as soon as it enters the blood, and the effect lasts for a long time. To ensure that nitroglycerin is quickly absorbed into the blood, it is placed under the tongue. And after 3-5 minutes the drug for heart pain begins to act. If the first tablet does not help, take a second one.

IMPORTANT!
You should not take more than three Nitroglycerin tablets in a row with an interval of 5-10 minutes.
If the pain in the heart continues, urgently call an ambulance - thrombosis and heart attack may develop. Nitroglycerin is not prescribed for a heart attack with a strong decrease in pressure, for shock, hypotension, pulmonary edema, glaucoma, high intracranial pressure, or allergies to nitrates. Side effects include dizziness, nausea, rash.

Nitroglycerine

Medisorb, Russia

For sublingual and buccal use: relief and prevention of angina attacks;
as an emergency medicine for acute myocardial infarction and acute left ventricular failure at the prehospital stage. For oral administration: relief and prevention of angina attacks, rehabilitation treatment after myocardial infarction. For intravenous administration: acute myocardial infarction, incl. complicated by acute left ventricular failure; unstable angina; pulmonary edema. For cutaneous use: prevention of angina attacks. from 13

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Causes of angina

The main cause of angina is atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerotic plaques that arise on the walls of the coronary arteries lead to a decrease in the lumen of blood vessels. Under normal conditions, the heart muscle has enough nutrition, but when the heart works hard, it is not possible to provide the necessary blood flow, hence the pain. If the lumen is narrowed significantly (and with severe atherosclerosis, the narrowing can reach 75% or more), attacks are possible even in the absence of load. The risk of developing atherosclerosis, and, consequently, the occurrence of angina, is increased by the following factors:

sedentary lifestyle;
poor nutrition (tendency to salty, fatty, heavy foods);
overweight (obesity);
smoking and alcohol abuse.

The performance of the vascular system is affected by age, heredity, and some chronic diseases (primarily diabetes and hypertension). The risk of angina increases due to emotional instability (nervous tension leads to increased stress on the heart).

Corvalol

Corvalol for the heart is available in drops and tablets and is sold without a prescription. The active ingredients of the drug for the heart are ethyl bromizovalerianate, phenobarbital and peppermint oil. Corvalol is prescribed for heaviness in the chest, pain in the heart of a pressing, stabbing, cutting nature. 20 drops of Corvalol are diluted in a small amount of water and drunk or placed under the tongue.

IMPORTANT!
Call an ambulance if the pain in your heart after taking Corvalol does not go away within 15-20 minutes.
A doctor may prescribe Corvalol for the heart for neuroses, depression and stress, against the background of VSD, with excessive emotional stress and fatigue, with weather sensitivity and in the off-season.

Corvalol calms the nervous system, dilates blood vessels, has a mild anti-stress effect and normalizes sleep. At the same time, heart pills are prohibited for those who drive a car or are involved in activities that require increased attention. You cannot combine Corvalol with alcoholic beverages. Prohibited for children under 18 years of age, pregnant and lactating women, people with serious liver and kidney diseases. Side effects include: tinnitus, dizziness, decreased blood pressure. If you take the drug for a long time, withdrawal syndrome is possible.

Corvalol

Usolye-Sibirsky Chemical Plant, Russia

Corvalol is a sedative and antispasmodic drug, the effect of which is determined by the components included in its composition.
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Novo-Passit

This heart pain remedy is sold in tablet and syrup form and does not require a prescription. "Novo-passit" is a sedative herbal preparation with complex action. Novo-Passit is prescribed for pain in the heart due to anxiety, fatigue, depression, and weather dependence.

These heart pills are prescribed for stress, heart pain due to VSD, anxiety and fatigue, cardialgia during menopause, as well as in the complex treatment of patients with heart pathologies.

It is not advisable to take the drug if you drive a car; Novo-Passit should not be combined with alcohol. If you are taking this remedy for heart pain, avoid exposure to the sun or tanning beds. Novo-Passit is prescribed with caution for diabetes.

Contraindications include: epilepsy, gastrointestinal diseases, alcoholism, traumatic brain injuries, pregnancy and breastfeeding, children under 12 years of age.

Novo-Passit

IVEX Pharmaceuticals, Czech Republic; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Germany

Novo-passit is a combination drug, the pharmacological activity of which is due to its constituent components of an extract based on medicinal plant raw materials with a predominantly sedative (calming) effect and guaifenesin, which has an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effect.
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Cardiket

"Kardiket" is a long-acting heart medicine. Dispensed with a doctor's prescription. The active substance of the drug is isosorbide dinitrate. “Cardiket” is from the group of nitrates that quickly dilate blood vessels. After administration, it begins to act within 15-20 minutes. This heart remedy lowers blood pressure (usually lower) and dilates blood vessels that have been spasming.

"Kardiket" is prescribed as a prevention of heart attacks and angina pectoris, to relieve pressing pain in the heart, and in complex therapy of heart failure.

"Cardiket" is NOT suitable as an "emergency aid" during an attack of angina. Contraindications include: hypotension, glaucoma, recent traumatic brain injury, cardiogenic shock. Side effects include: decreased blood pressure, dizziness, headache, dry mouth. If you take Cardiket for a long time, withdrawal syndrome is possible, so reduce the dosage of the drug for the heart little by little.

Methods for diagnosing angina pectoris

Treatment of angina begins with diagnosing the condition of the coronary vessels. For this purpose, procedures such as:

ECG

Electrocardiography (ECG) is a basic diagnostic procedure in cardiology. Patients with angina pectoris are also recommended to undergo daily ECG monitoring.