Coronary Artery Spasms and Angina

[samuel0404]

Hello there, I am quite new to understanding my dysautonomia, and was wondering if anyone has had coronary aftery spasms ( angina), or unexplained chest pain.  If so what have you done to improve it, anything help?   

 

I personally have had it for a year, and have found a few helpful solutions up to this point:  Calcium channel blockers ( have provided most long lasting support), also heat has helped ( steam room, sauna, heating pads on neck/chest/stomach, chocolate, chamomile tea, Hawthorne, magnesium, garlic at times, cayenne pepper).  Also do any of you live in cold climates, and does this make your heart pain/chest pain worse over the cold months?

 

Also have any of you found good research and evidence that shows a connection between coronary artery spasms or unexplained angina/chest pain with dysautonomia?  

 

Look forward to hearing from you!!!

 

-Sam

[Pistol]

@samuel0404 - Yes, I suffer from chest pains since onset of hyperPOTS symptoms 8 years ago, it was actually one of my first concerns, followed by realizing that I had tachycardia. I had a cardiac cath in January and they found Prinz Metal Angina, spasms of the coronary arteries caused by ANS dysfunction. I also have Raynauds syndrome in my feet since child hood and they say it is the same mechanism. I take calcium channel blocker and beta blocker as well as guanfacine, which help greatly for ALL of my cardio-vascular symptoms. Since January I am on Nitroglycerin patch,  which really helps for the constant, worrisome chest discomfort. Still - I can tell if I am hypo- or hypertensive based on the type of chest pain I get. Also - when I have a flare I get bad CP and IV fluids immediately stop it ( and they bring my BP down, normally BP should increase with IV fluids ).   

[samuel0404]

Good to hear from you Pistol! Sorry for the delayed response, It takes me a while to get back.  I am happy to hear you have found some relief and options to at least manage the symptoms on a day to day basis.  It amazes me the many ways someone can develop dysautonomia, and the many symptoms that can develop.  I believe I simply had low grad dysautonomia since I was 17 ( 32 now), and I didn't know it ( 17 had a bad virus like meningitis/encephalitis/west nile, and mold may have exaggerated it).  My dysautonomia thought took off to a much more intense level after I used syntonics (phototherapy) to try and help with my eye contact issues ( related to dysautonomia, but didn't know at the time).  Since using this treatment, I have had coronary artery spams for over a year, and no one believed my heart was having any issues for the majority of that time, though I knew an issue was present.  Thankfully I have a few options now to decrease and help my arteries dilate better; calcium channel blockers, Hawthorne, dark chocolate, magnesium, camomile tea, Argentine and citraline, cayenne pepper.  I imagine you have have been through a lot over the years, have learned a lot as well.  At what hospital if I may ask did they find out you had print metal angina, and did they know you had it because of the test showed it, or because the test showed you didn't have the other issues of the heart that more commonly cause angina?  Nice to meet you 

[Pistol]

@samuel0404 - nice to meet you too! To answer your questions: I had chest pains for years off and on and had several stress tests ( all OK ). But last year I sought help from a cardiologist that had seen me early on in my illness but did admit that he did not know how to treat POTS. He did a heart cath in January which showed my arteries are clean but it showed spasms indicative of Prinz Metal angina. And since I also suffer from generalized vaso-canstrictive issues ( Raynaud's, seizures from cerebral vasoconstriction, hypertension ) that totally makes sense. -- The hospital that did the cath is WVU. I see an autonomic specialist at UTMC ( Toledo Ohio ). --- I am sorry that your dysautonomia got that much worse. I had never heard of that phototherapy you describe but I thank you for the warning!