📌 Medicine Name:
Isosorbide Dinitrate Tablet 5 mg
(A long-acting nitrate vasodilator)
📋 Description / Prescription:
Isosorbide dinitrate is a prescription-only medication used in the management and prevention of angina pectoris (chest pain) and sometimes for heart failure (especially when combined with hydralazine).
- Each tablet contains 5 mg of isosorbide dinitrate
- Usually taken orally, not for immediate angina relief
🔬 Nature / Mechanism of Action:
- Isosorbide dinitrate is metabolized to nitric oxide (NO)
- NO activates guanylate cyclase, increasing cyclic GMP
- This results in relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, leading to:
- Venodilation → decreased preload
- Arterial dilation (at higher doses) → decreased afterload
- Reduced myocardial oxygen demand
✅ Advantages / Therapeutic Benefits:
- 🔄 Used for long-term prevention of angina
- ⏱️ Has a longer duration of action than glyceryl trinitrate
- 💓 Improves exercise tolerance in patients with coronary artery disease
- 🫀 May be used as part of a heart failure treatment regimen
- 🧍♂️ Helps reduce angina frequency when used regularly
📦 Packaging:
- Tablet form, usually small and round
- Common packaging: blister strips or bottles
- Pack sizes may vary: 10, 30, or 100 tablets per box
🌡️ Storage:
- Store at 15–25°C (59–77°F)
- Protect from light, moisture, and heat
- Keep in original packaging and out of reach of children
⚠️ Precautions:
Use with caution in patients with:
- Hypotension
- Severe anemia
- Increased intracranial pressure
- Head trauma or closed-angle glaucoma (rarely)
🚫 Contraindicated with:
- PDE-5 inhibitors (e.g., sildenafil, tadalafil) — may cause life-threatening hypotension
- Severe hypotension or shock
Tolerance:
- Continuous use may lead to nitrate tolerance
- A nitrate-free interval of 10–14 hours daily is recommended
👩⚕️ Patient Advice / Counseling Points:
- 💊 Take exactly as prescribed—not for immediate angina relief
- 🕒 Schedule doses to allow for a nitrate-free interval to avoid tolerance
- 🪑 Sit or lie down if feeling light-headed or dizzy
- 🚫 Avoid alcohol—can increase dizziness and lower blood pressure
- 📞 Call doctor if:
- Chest pain becomes more frequent or intense
- You experience severe headache, palpitations, or fainting