Medical use of nitroglycerin

Nitroglycerin

Clinical data
Trade names	Nitrol, others
AHFS/Drugs.com	Monograph
MedlinePlus	a601086
Pregnancy category	US: C (Risk not ruled out)
Routes of administration	sublingual, transdermal, by mouth, intravenous
ATC code	C01DA02 (WHO) C05AE01 (WHO)
Legal status
Legal status	AU: S3 (Pharmacist only) UK: POM (Prescription only) US: ℞-only
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability	<1%
Metabolism	liver (rapid), red blood cells, vascular wall
Biological half-life	3 minutes
Excretion	In urine, in bile
Identifiers
IUPAC name 1,3-dinitrooxypropan-2-yl nitrate; [3-(nitrooxy)-2-[(nitrooxy)methyl]propyl] nitrate
CAS Number	55-63-0
PubChem CID	4510
IUPHAR/BPS	7053
DrugBank	DB00727 Y
ChemSpider	4354 Y
UNII	G59M7S0WS3
ChEBI	CHEBI:28787 Y
ChEMBL	CHEMBL730 Y
Chemical and physical data
Formula	C3H5N3O9
Molar mass	227.087 g/mol
3D model (Jmol)	Interactive image
SMILES C(C(CO[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-])O[N+](=O)[O-]
InChI InChI=1S/C3H5N3O9/c7-4(8)13-1-3(15-6(11)12)2-14-5(9)10/h3H,1-2H2 Y Key:SNIOPGDIGTZGOP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Y
NY (what is this?)

Nitroglycerin, also known as glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) is a medication used for heart failure, high blood pressure, and to treat and prevent chest pain from not enough blood flow to the heart. This includes chest pain due to cocaine and from a heart attack. It is taken by mouth, under the tongue, applied to the skin, and by injection into a vein.

Common side effects include headache and low blood pressure. The low blood pressure can be severe. It is unclear if use in pregnancy is safe for the baby. It should not be used together with medications within the sildenafil family. Nitroglycerin is in the nitrate family of medications. While it is not entirely clear how it works, it is believed to function by dilating blood vessels.

Nitroglycerin was written about as early as 1846 and came into medical use in 1878. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. The wholesale cost in the developing world for the pills that go under the tongue is about 0.06 to 0.22 USD per dose. It is the same substance as the chemical nitroglycerin used for explosives.

Nitroglycerin is used for the treatment of angina,acute myocardial infarction, severe hypertension, and acute coronary artery spasms.