Nitroglycerin
- Class: Nitrate
- Used for: angina
- Say it: nye-troh-GLIS-er-in
- Forms: sublingual tablet, mouth spray, patch, ointment, injection
Remember the name – NITRO → dynamite
NITROGLYCERIN is literal DYNAMITE — and under the tongue it blows the veins wide open within a minute.
Same compound as the explosive, stabilised. Widening the veins means less blood returns to the heart, so it has less work to do — that, more than opening the coronary artery, is where the relief comes from.
NITROGLYCERIN is literal DYNAMITE — and under the tongue it blows the veins wide open within a minute.
Same compound as the explosive, stabilised. Widening the veins means less blood returns to the heart, so it has less work to do — that, more than opening the coronary artery, is where the relief comes from.
Mnemonic: Under the tongue — straight past the liver
Sublingual absorption goes directly into the circulation, bypassing the liver, which would otherwise destroy almost the whole dose before it arrived. That is the entire reason for the route.
Sublingual absorption goes directly into the circulation, bypassing the liver, which would otherwise destroy almost the whole dose before it arrived. That is the entire reason for the route.
Side effects
Common: headache, dizziness, flushing
Serious: severe pressure drop with sildenafil
Typical dose
400 micrograms sublingually, repeated every 5 minutes up to three doses
If the pain persists after three doses, call emergency services. Never within 24–48 hours of sildenafil.
Check yourself
Which drug must never be combined with nitroglycerin?
- Sildenafil
- Aspirin
- Metoprolol
- Atorvastatin
Show answer
A. Sildenafil
Both amplify the same nitric-oxide pathway, so the vasodilation multiplies rather than adds. The resulting hypotension can be profound and very hard to reverse.
See it, don't memorize it
The app has the mechanism comic and a patient case for Nitroglycerin – plus the name link, the class mnemonic, pronunciation you can hear, and a self-check, for the top 100 drugs. One purchase, no subscription, no account.