Tag Archives: Nifedipine

Factors Of Heart Disease

What Are The Risk Factors Of Heart Disease?

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There are several risk factors for heart disease and each one has its symptoms and treatment. Heart disease describes a range of conditions that affect your heart including a disease of the heart muscle and blood vessel diseases such as coronary artery disease.  Heart disease may also include heart rhythm and congenital heart defects. Several forms of heart disease can be prevented and treated with healthy lifestyle choices. 

Chest pain

Symptoms of Heart Disease

  • Chest tightness or discomfort 
  • Pain in the throat, neck, or jaw
  • Dizziness
  • Lightheadedness
  • Racing heartbeat 
  • Fluttering in your chest 
  • Easily tiring during exercise or activity 
  • Shortness of breath 
  • Changes in your heart rhythm 
  • Fainting 

Heart disease is easier to treat when detected early, so talk to your health care provider about your concerns regarding your heart health. This is especially important if you have a family history of heart disease.

Risk Factors of Heart Disease

  • Age: As you age, you increase your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and a weakened or thickened heart muscle.
  • Stress: Unrelieved stress may damage your arteries and worsen other risk factors for heart disease.
  • Sex: Men are mostly at greater risk of heart disease. Women are at risk after menopause.
  • Family history: A family history of this disease increases your risk of coronary artery disease, especially if a parent developed it before age 55 for a male relative and 65 for a female relative.
  • Smoking: Nicotine tightens your blood vessels, and carbon monoxide can damage their inner lining which makes them more susceptible to atherosclerosis.
  • Poor diet: A diet that’s high in fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar can contribute to the development of heart disease.
  • Obesity: Excess weight typically worsens other heart disease risk factors.
  • High blood pressure: Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries which narrows the vessels through which blood flows.
  • Diabetes: Diabetes increases your risk of heart disease. Both conditions share similar risk factors, such as obesity and high blood pressure.
  • High blood cholesterol levels: High levels of cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of plaque formation and atherosclerosis.
  • Physical inactivity: Lack of exercise also is linked with several forms of heart disease and some of its other risk factors as well.

Treatment for Heart Disease

The type of treatment you receive depends on the type of heart disease you have. In general, treatment for heart disease usually includes:

  • Lifestyle changes such as eating a low-fat and low-sodium diet, getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week, limiting alcohol intake, and quitting smoking
  • Medications that may be prescribed by your doctor to control heart disease. 
  • Medical surgery or procedures if medications are not enough. 

Medications that can be taken for heart disease may include:

Chest Tightness

Chest Tightness

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Chest Tightness may appear in several forms that range from a sharp stab to a dull ache. Sometimes, it feels crushing or burning. In most cases, the pain travels up the neck, into the jaw, and then spreads to the back or arms. 

Several factors can cause chest pain. The most life-threatening causes involve the heart or lungs because chest pain can indicate a serious problem, it is important to seek help right away. 

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Symptoms of Chest Tightness

Although chest pain is often associated with heart disease, there are several patients with the disease who say that they have a vague discomfort that isn’t necessarily identified as pain. In general, chest discomfort related to a heart attack or another heart problem may be described by or associated with one or more of the following:

  • Cold sweats
  • Dizziness or weakness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Shortness of breath
  • Pain that lasts more than a few minutes, gets worse with activity, or goes away and comes back
  • The crushing or searing pain that spreads to your back, neck, jaw, shoulders, and one or both arms
  • Pressure, fullness, burning, or tightness in your chest

Causes of Chest Tightness

Chest pain has many possible causes, all of which need medical attention.

1. Heart-related causes

  • Heart attack
  • Angina
  • Aortic dissection
  • Inflammation of the sac around the heart (pericarditis)
Chest pain

2. Digestive causes

Chest pain can be caused by disorders of the digestive system, including:

3. Muscle and bone causes

Some types of chest pain are along with injuries and other problems affecting the structures that make up the chest wall, including:

4. Lung-related causes

Many lung disorders can cause chest pain, including:

  • Pulmonary embolism
  • Inflammation of the membrane covering the lungs (pleurisy)
  • Collapsed lung
  • Pulmonary hypertension

Chest pain can also be caused by:

  • Panic attack
  • Shingles
  • Diagnosis of Chest Tightness

Chest pain is not always a signal of a heart attack, but that’s what doctors in the emergency room usually test for first. It is because it can be potentially the most immediate threat to life. 

Some of the first tests your doctor may order when evaluating chest pain include:

  • CT Scan
  • Chest X-ray
  • Blood tests 
  • ECG or EKG

Depending on the results from the initial tests for chest pain, you may need follow-up testing, which may include:

  • Echocardiogram
  • Stress tests
  • Coronary catheterization (angiogram)

Treatment and Medications for Chest Tightness

Based on your specific situation, your doctor will be able to explain the recommended treatment options and the outlook for your condition. A variety of treatment options are available, from simple lifestyle changes to medication or a detailed treatment plan. 

Drugs used for the treatment of some of the most common causes of chest pain may include:

Buy Nifedipine

Nifedipine

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Nifedipine is a prescription calcium channel blocker used for:

  • Lowering the blood pressure
  • Prevention of rapid heart rhythm episodes
  • Preventing angina pectoris or chest pain attack due to an increased workload of the heart or spasm of the coronary arteries

The short-acting tablet is used for:

  • Treating Raynaud’s phenomenon, a condition where the blood vessels in the feet and hands go into spasm causing numbness, white and painful toes and fingers.
  • Treating hiccups in palliative care

Non-FDA approved uses include:

  • Postponing premature labor (off-label)
  • Prevention of migraine headaches in adults
  • Anal fissure
  • Wound healing
  • Ureteral stones as secondary therapy

Nifedipine is mainly prescribed for the treatment of hypertension or high blood pressure. It’s a common condition but its long-term effect can cause serious medical conditions like heart problems and even death. Untreated high blood pressure can cause damages to the heart, blood vessels, kidneys and other organs of the body. Damages to these organs may cause heart disease, heart failure, heart attack, stroke, loss of vision, kidney failure and other problems. High blood pressure happens when blood pressure increases to an unhealthy level. You can get high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. It generally develops over years and affects nearly everyone. Fortunately, most high blood pressure can easily be detected.

It’s also used to treat two types of angina pectoris or chest pain: chronic stable angina and vasospastic angina.  Angina pectoris is a type of chest discomfort due to coronary heart disease. It usually happens when one or more of the heart’s arteries is blocked or narrowed due to insufficient oxygen that it gets.

Nifedipine blocks the calcium channel found on the muscle cells in the walls of the arteries. This causes the walls to relax and widens. Relaxing the walls of the arteries reduces the resistance of the heart to pump blood around the body. This in return reduces the pressure in the blood vessels. Nifedipine helps control high blood pressure along with making a lifestyle change. These changes include maintaining a healthy weight, eating a diet that is low in salt and fat, exercising at least 30 minutes a day, using alcohol in moderation and not smoking.

Nifedipine also helps relax the peripheral arteries in the hands and feet which improve the circulation of blood in the fingers and toes. This helps relieve the symptoms of Raynaud’s phenomenon. 

Why Buy Nifedipine?

Nifedipine is a potent calcium channel blocker that’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use in the United State since 1981. It’s listed as one of the safest and most effective medicines needed in the health system. It’s a generic medicine that works well in lowering the blood pressure and in preventing chest pain. It’s a first-choice treatment for high blood pressure and Prinzmetal angina for many people. Nifedipine prevents heart attack, stroke and heart-related chest pain when used regularly. Nifedipine is also available in several brand names in the market. However, the brand names cost much than the generic version.

How to Take Nifedipine?

Your dose and the duration of your treatment depend on your condition. The typical recommended dose for treating angina pectoris is 10 mg to 20 mg three times a day. The maximum recommended dose is 180 mg a day. For hypertension, take 30 mg to 60 mg a day. Nifedipine comes in a tablet and capsule form for you to take by mouth. You can take it with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole with water.

The short-acting capsule takes effect as soon as the medicine is absorbed by the body and then tapers off. So you should take it three times a day. The long-acting tablet and capsule release the medicine steadily over the day. You need to take it once or two times a day.

What are the possible side effects of Nifedipine?

Nifedipine may cause unwanted side effects like any other medications and these may affect individuals in different ways. Contact your doctor right away if you have serious side effects like:

  • Fainting
  • Pounding or fast heartbeats
  • Short breath
  • Low blood pressure
  • Swollen ankles due to fluid retention
  • Swelling in the hands or feet
  • numbness or tingly feeling
  • Worsening angina
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes
  • Chest pain, pain that spread to the arms or shoulder
  • Nausea
  • Sweating
  • General ill feeling
  • Visual disturbance

Less serious side effects are:

  • Leg cramp
  • Joint pain
  • Headache
  • Dizziness
  • Sleep problems
  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Itching, mild rashes
  • Feeling tired
  • Stomach pain
  • Constipation
  • Chills
  • Migraine
  • Nosebleed
  • Urinating more than usual

Rare side effects are:

  • Infertility in men
  • Loss of appetite
  • Enlargement of the gums

A very serious side effect is rare. However, if you will notice any serious side effects seek immediate medical attention.

Things to Remember

  • Do not miss a dose. Stopping your medication can cause your blood pressure to go up suddenly which raises your risk of stroke and heart attack.
  • Avoid grapefruit because it can make the effect of this medicine stronger.
  • Nifedipine can make you feel dizzy or weary. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages. When getting up from sitting or lying position, do it slowly
  • In addition to taking your medication, making a lifestyle change can also control your blood pressur
  • Do not take this to treat an angina attack that has started because it won’t work quickly enough.
  • Have a regular blood sugar check-up because this medicine may affect the level of sugar in your blood.
  • Tell your doctor if you are using this medication before having surgery.
  • Do not use this if:
    • You are having an ongoing angina attack because this drug doesn’t work that quickly compared with glyceryl trinitrate (GTN).
    • You have had a recent heart attack
    • You are allergic to any of the ingredients
    • You have a liver problem, blockage in the stomach or intestines, ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease
  • Use in a lower dose if:
    • You are 65 years old and above
    • You have a heart failure
    • You have a severe liver problems
    • You have a diabetes
Buy Nifedipine

Medication that Improve Blood Supply & Oxygen to the Muscle of the Heart

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  • Angina (chest pain): – It is a discomfort due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. It feels like squeezing in your chest. The pain may extend to shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back.
  • High blood pressure: – It indicates the increased pressure of blood in the blood vessels. High blood pressure for a long time may lead to many heart problems like heart attack, stroke etc.

Nifedipine treats high blood pressure & Angina. It helps to prevent other heart disease related to above conditions.

How does Nifedipine work?

Nifedipine belongs to a class of medication called calcium channel blocker (CCBs). Calcium is an important component that heart muscle needs to contract. The contraction causes chest pain called angina.

Nifedipine blocks the supply of calcium going to the muscle in the heart and blood vessels. This relaxes the muscles. Relaxed muscles allow more supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. It reduces the blood pressure. Low blood pressure help to reduce the efforts of heart to pump more and too fast. All these conditions avoid further damage and possibilities of heart disease.

How to take Nifedipine?

Nifedipine is available in the form of a capsule. The strength of capsule is 10 mg and 20 mg. The dose depends on the condition of the patient.

Adult Dosage: –

  • Initial dose: – 30 mg in a day.
  • Maximum dose: – 90 mg in a day.
  • Maintenance dose: – 30-60 mg in a day.

Comments: –

  1. Your doctor may adjust or increase your dose at a period of 7-14 days.
  2. Decrease the dose slowly to stop treatment. This will avoid withdrawal symptoms.
  3. Take the medicine on an empty stomach.
  4. Take the capsule around the same time every day.

Children: – safety and efficacy have not been established in patients younger than 18 years.

What are the uses of Nifedipine?

  1. Nifedipine treats high blood pressure.
  2. Helpful in the treatment of angina.
  3. Relax the muscles of the heart.
  4. Improve blood supply and oxygen to the muscle of the heart.
  5. Allow easy flow of blood through the vessels.
  6. Used as an agent that delays premature labor.
  7. Raynaud’s phenomenon is often treated with the above drug.
  8. It included treatment of painful spasms of the esophagus (as in cancer or tetanus).
  9. Your doctor may prescribe it for some other use.

What are the precautions in taking Nifedipine?

  • Discuss the risk against the good, Nifedipine will do. Inform your doctor if you have/are.
  • Allergic to Nifedipine.
  • Any other allergies you have.
  • Heart problems.
  • Liver problems.
  • Kidney disease.
  • Dental or any other surgery.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding.
  • Be cautious when you do a work that needs to be aware. The drug may make you feel dizzy.
  • Tell your doctor about all other medications you take.
  • Limit use of alcohol.

Cost of Nifedipine (Generic & Brand)

Generic medicines are cheap & effective as brand drugs. They do not include huge expenditure like research and development. The difference in their price lies in the money, time & effort put towards the marketing of the brand. They both show the same effect.

Cost of Generic Nifedipine.

  • Pack of 60 caps of 10 mg costs $ 13, cost of per unit is $ 0.22.
  • Pack of 40 caps of 20 mg cost $ 69, cost of per unit is $ 0.77.

Cost of Brand Procardia.

  • Pack of 100 capsules of 10 mg costs $ 295.26, cost of per unit is $ 2.95.