Published: March, 2014If your heart's arteries are choked with cholesterol-filled plaque, a sudden increase in the heart's demand for oxygen-rich blood from physical exertion or emotional stress can trigger the chest pain known as angina. But a tiny tablet of nitroglycerin often relieves the pain within minutes. Nitroglycerin is underusedNitroglycerin and related drugs, known as nitrates, widen the arteries that nourish the heart and reduce the heart's workload. Under-the-tongue (sublingual) nitro- glycerin tablets are perhaps the best-known version of this common medication. But nitrates come in a variety of different formulations (see 'Nitrates for angina: Many choices').'
My personal view is that these medications are seriously underused. Nitrates have substantial benefits both for chronic stable coronary disease and for heart failure,' says Dr.
James Januzzi, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the cardiac intensive care unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. Nitrates can help treat and prevent bouts of angina and reduce the overall number of attacks, he says. And people with heart failure may reap additional benefits. For instance, by expanding large veins in the legs and lungs, nitrates lower the amount of blood returning to the heart, easing fluid buildup in the lungs and combating shortness of breath. Short-acting tablets and spraysShort-acting nitroglycerin also comes in a spray version that you spritz under your tongue.
If you have arthritis in your hands or a dry mouth, it may be easier to use than pills. Both the pill and spray versions are equally effective and cause a sweet, tingling sensation—a sign the drug is working.Be sure to carry the medication with you at all times. Some people use a metal vial on a necklace to carry their pills. The tablets are sensitive to air, light, and heat, so recap your bottle quickly and store it in a cool, dry place like a drawer. Once you open a bottle, the tablets are good for only a month or two, says Dr.
The spray has a shelf life of two to three years.If you have one or fewer angina episodes per week, short-acting nitroglycerin makes the most sense. You can also take a dose right before activity that could cause angina, such as mowing the lawn, playing sports, or walking up a hill (especially in the cold).Nitroglycerin comes in a spray as well as a pill form.Long-acting pills or patchesIf you have two or more angina episodes per week, a long-acting nitrate is a better bet. Long-acting nitrates are taken as capsules or tablets or delivered through a skin patch.The body can develop tolerance to these drugs, so you need a nitrate-free period that lasts several hours at least once a day, says Dr. 'I usually tell people with frequent angina to take extended-release tablets twice a day, then stay off the drug at night,' he says. In contrast, a person with heart failure who is short of breath overnight may do better taking the drug at night.Headaches are a common side effect of nitrates, but they usually don't last long. If you take long-acting nitrates, the headaches usually stop within a week or so, after your body adapts.
Dizziness can also occur, which is why doctors always recommend sitting down when taking a dose and for a few minutes afterward. Men who take erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, Levitra, Cialis, and Stendra must never take any form of nitrate, unless they are in a medical setting where they can be watched closely.
That's because the combination can lead to a severe and possibly fatal drop in blood pressure. Share this page:.
No titleNitroglycerin,Season1; Episode 24;Exodus - Part 2Arzt: Do you have any ideawhat happens to dynamite inninety plus degree heat, huh? It sweats nitroglycerin. Dynamiteis nitroglycerin stabilised byclay. Nitroglycerin is the most dangerousand unstable explosive know to man. Any of you hear about the guy who inventednitroglycerin?
Probably not!cause he blew is frigging face off. His labassistance came into the room, saw that his mentor had detonated, and he said;'huh, I guess this stuff does work'.
OK were not going to take more of this stuffthan we need, because nitroglycerin is extremely temperamental, so we don’t Wavesthe dynamite and blows himself up.CERTIFICATE: 15RUNTIME: 44minsSYNOPSIS: Dr. Leslie Arzt ( )accompanies the team venturing to the Black Rock to assist in the retrieval ofto blast open the mysterious hatch. When Jack, Kate, and Locke bring out a cratecontaining dynamite, an alarmed Arzt explains that, at 90ºF,dynamite sweats,the most reactive substance known to man. After Arzt wraps a stick ofdynamite in Kate's wet shirt, he waves the dynamite (by accident), which explodes in his hands, killinghim instantly.NitroglycerinHistory: The Italian chemist firstmade nitroglycerin in 1847, by adding glycerol to a mixture of concentratednitric and sulfuric acids.Sobrero’s face was badly scarred due to anexplosion in the 1840s. Terrified of his discovery he considered nitroglycerinto be too dangerous for practical use as the impure compound was liable toexplode without warning.A Nobel Discovery: Swedish scientist andindustrialiststudied these problems and worked hard to improve nitroglycerin as a means forblasting rock and thus used as a tool for mining.
In the 1860s he discovered that when the compoundwas combined with silica it could be turned into a paste and kneaded intoshapes. This is frequently referred to as dynamite.Discontent: Sobrero was m ortified when Nobel began thecommercial exploitation of nitroglycerin and due to the success of dynamite;the Italian felt he had been subject to an injustice. Although Nobel openlycited Sobrero as the inventor of nitroglycerin, Sobrero quoted: ' When Ithink of all the victims killed during nitroglycerin explosions, and the terriblehavoc that has been wreaked, which in all probability will continue to occur inthe future, I am almost ashamed to admit to be its discoverer '.Nitroglycerin is derivedfrom glycerol (highlighted in red; where all the OH groups have be replacedwith NO 2 ). Is a common biological molecule from whichtriglycerides fats (in animals) and oils (in plants) are assembled.Properties: Thisheavy, colourless, toxic oil, that is so unstable that the slightest jolt,impact or friction can result in spontaneous detonation. Although explosive inthe liquid state, the solid is much less sensitive to shock and therefore morestable (freezes at approx.
It is obtained by nitrating glycerol and isused in the manufacture of explosives, specifically dynamite.Click on the picture aboveto interactwith the 3D model of theNitroglycerin structureChemicalName: Nitroglycerin (or nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin,glyceryl trinitrate)IUPAC Name: 1,2,3-trinitropropaneMolecularFormula: C 3 H 5 N 3 O 9Instability andExplosive NatureAs nitroglycerin contains oxygen, nitrogen and carbon, anexplosion is essentially rapid combustion- the three nitrate groups (powerful oxidizingagents) are bound directly to a hydrocarbon fragment (a fuel). Hence releasing a large amount of energy (exothermicreaction) because the atoms rearrange to form newmolecules with strong, stable (multiple) bonds, such as and.Pure nitroglycerin is a contact explosive (physical shock may result in anexplosion), which degrades over time, producing even more unstable chemicalforms. As a result nitroglycerin is highly dangerous to transport or handle.The undiluted form it is one of the most powerful high explosives, analogous tomilitary explosives RDX and PETN, along with the plastic explosive C-4.Although nitroglycerin can deflagrate or burn, the explosive decomposesalmost instantaneously producing a supersonic shockwave that propagates throughthe fuel-rich medium/material.