Angina - what to ask your doctor

What are the signs and symptoms that I am having angina? Will I always have the same symptoms?

• What are the activities that can cause me to have angina?
• How should I treat my chest pain, or angina, when it happens?
• When should I call my provider?
• When should I call 911 or the local emergency number?

How much exercise or activity can I do?

• Do I need to have a stress test first?
• Is it safe for me to exercise on my own?
• Where should I exercise, inside or outside? Which activities are better to start with? Are there activities or exercises that are not safe for me?
• How long and how hard can I exercise?

When can I return to work? Are there limits to what I can do at work?

What should I do if I feel sad or very worried about my heart disease?

How can I change the way I live to make my heart stronger?

• What is a heart-healthy diet? Is it OK to ever eat something that is not heart healthy? What are some ways to eat healthy when I go to a restaurant?
• Is it OK to drink any alcohol?
• Is it OK to be around other people who are smoking?
• Is my blood pressure normal?
• What is my cholesterol and do I need to take medicines for it?

Is it OK to be sexually active? Is it safe to use sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), or tadalafil (Cialis)?

What medicines am I taking to treat or prevent angina?

• Do they have any side effects?
• What should I do if I miss a dose?
• Is it ever safe to stop any of these medicines on my own?

If I am taking aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), ticagrelor (Brilinta), prasugrel (Effient), or another blood thinner, is it OK to take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), or other pain medicines?

It is OK to take omeprazole (Prilosec) or other medicines for heartburn?

What to ask your doctor about angina and heart disease; Coronary artery disease - what to ask your doctor

Amsterdam EA, Wenger NK, Brindis RG, et al. 2014 AHA/ACC guideline for the management of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;64(24):e139-e228. PMID: 25260718 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25260718/.

Bonaca MP, Sabatine MS. Approach to the patient with chest pain. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 35.

Fihn SD, Gardin JM, Abrams J, et al. 2012 ACCF/AHA/ACP/AATS/PCNA/SCAI/STS guideline for the diagnosis and management of patients with stable ischemic heart disease: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines, and the American College of Physicians, American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association, Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Circulation. 2014 Apr 22;129(16):e462. PMID: 23166210 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23166210/.

O'Gara PT, Kushner FG, Ascheim DD, et al. 2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction: executive summary: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013 Sep;62(11):1039. PMID: 23256913 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23256913/.

Updated by: Thomas S. Metkus, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.