Overview
Nitrates are one of the most important substances in existence, especially if you have experienced problems with your heart. Nitrogen, one of the most abundant elements in nitrate, is present in the cells of every living thing and comprises nearly 80 percent of the air we breathe. Nitrogen is one of the primary elements found in amino acids and proteins. Inorganically, it exists diatomically as N2 gas and as nitrate, nitrite and ammonia.
Nitrates
Nitrates are prescription pharmaceutical medications effective in preventing and relieving angina, or chest pain. If you suffer from coronary artery disease, these vasodilators cause your blood vessels to dilate or widen, relieving your chest pain. Nitroglycerin is one of the most commonly used nitrates along with isosorbide dinitrate and isosorbide mononitrate. If you suffer from chest pains, you most likely have been prescribed some form of one of these three nitrate medications by your doctor.
Treatment
If your doctor has prescribed medications containing nitrates, it is most likely for relief of angina once it occurs or, as a preventive measure, just before you engage in activities that may result in chest pain. Long-term daily treatments with nitrates may reduce your number of angina episodes, which may occur at various times throughout the day when your heart muscle is deficient in oxygen.
Angina
When your heart muscle does not receive as much oxygen as it needs, chest pain, or angina, occurs. Generally, this is from coronary artery disease or atherosclerosis, which causes the narrowing of coronary arteries that feed your heart muscle with blood and oxygen. As fatty plaque builds up on the inside lining of your coronary arteries, they become narrower and restrict blood flow, which reduces oxygen and causes angina.
Function
Nitrates relax and widen your arteries, which in turn increases blood flow and prevents or stops your chest pains. The wider, more relaxed arteries reduce the oxygen requirements of your heart when pumping blood by decreasing its workload. Since the effect of nitrates is temporary, repeated use is necessary if you suffer from frequent chest pains.
Efficacy
Your body may become used to nitrates if you take them on a regular basis and that can result in a loss of effectiveness, resulting in a condition called nitrate tolerance. Nitrate tolerance usually is not a problem if you only take nitrates at the onset of chest pains or prior to activities that may cause angina. If you take long-acting nitrates, your doctor may prescribe them for different times of the day. This is to give you nitrate-free periods to help prevent nitrate tolerance.
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