Does statin therapy treat angina?

Angina happens when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen-rich blood, often because the coronary arteries are narrowed. A statin works mainly on cholesterol in the blood and helps make fatty deposits in artery walls less likely to grow or rupture. This supports prevention of heart attack and other vascular problems; it is different from medicines used for rapid symptom relief or to reduce the heart’s workload. Your clinician may combine several treatments according to the cause, pattern and severity of your symptoms.

Take the statin exactly as prescribed and do not stop it because your chest feels better. Keep a record of when discomfort occurs, what you were doing, how long it lasts and whether rest changes it. Follow the wider plan for blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, activity and diet if these apply to you. Ask which medicine is intended for sudden angina symptoms and how to use it. A review can check your response, other medicines and possible muscle or liver-related side effects.

Call emergency services immediately for chest pressure or pain that is severe, new, worsening, happens at rest, or does not settle with the emergency plan you were given. Seek urgent help if it comes with breathlessness, sweating, nausea, faintness or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back. Do not drive yourself. New or changing symptoms need prompt assessment even when you already take a statin.

Which medicine should I use for angina symptoms, and what should I do if it does not help? How does my statin fit with the rest of my heart-care plan? When should my treatment and blood tests be reviewed?