MEDICAL MISTAKES

You could be taking medicines the wrong way

THIS week: Under-using angina sprays GLYCERYL trinitrate nitrate is often prescribed to people with angina — discomfort or tightness in the chest caused when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to an area of the heart muscle is reduced. The drug helps by widening blood vessels.

However, many people think these sprays should be used only in emergencies, says Dr Richard Bogle, a cardiologist at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. ‘There is no danger from taking the spray and people should be using it when they get angina or before any activity that provokes angina. Otherwise they’re suffering unnecessarily,’ he says. To use the sprays correctly, spritz one or two squirts under your tongue, then immediately close your mouth. If you’re in pain, this should ease within a minute or so. If the first dose doesn’t work, use the spray again after five minutes. If the pain doesn’t ease after five minutes of this second dose, call an ambulance immediately as it may be a sign of a heart attack, says Dr Bogle.