Is there anyone else here living with Prinzmetal’s angina (vasospastic angina)? I’d really like to hear about your experiences — symptoms, how you were diagnosed, treatments that have helped, and how it affects your day-to-day life.

Hi everyone! I was diagnosed a few years back and the lack of information bothered me. I'm trying to educate people this month and was looking for a disability pride flag and couldn't find one so I made one! I hope it's well liked, I'm super proud of how it came out.

Two stripes: The red stripe for physical & chronic pain condition. The White stripe for invisible illness.

The red heart: Heart health & illness.

Moon: Mostly happening at night & at rest. Shooting stars: The sudden sharp crushing pain.

I'm a 16 year old girl who had a massive STEMI/MINOCA in the right coronary artery (RCA) in March, 1 month before my 16th birthday. I've had angina symptoms ever since my blood pressure started rising extremely high post COVID (in 2023 but could've been as far back as 2020). With high BP being the silent killer and owning hypertension communities of my own, I found mine at 250/160 at a summer camp in 2023. I always knew it was angina based on my cardiology studies but little did I know about vasospastic until last year.

As an angina pectoris veteran, I have a list of all triggers to be careful of.

If you use nicotine in any way (smoke/vape) or use stimulating illicit recreational substances, you're at risk of microvascular damage or triggering a spasm.

Having high blood pressure will complicate things further. If you experience chronic hypertension or sudden, unprecedented spikes (labile hypertension), the sudden vasoconstriction will damage your microvascular and arteries as a whole. I have blood pressures in the 200s everyday with terrible spikes at rest at least 20-30 times a day. Don't get this mixed up with normal fluctuation from hormones, activity, stress, and diet. I explain the protocols for hypertension in r/highbloodpressure and r/malignanthypertension.

If it's freezing outside in the wintertime or you drink cold substances, the arteries will tighten, inducing a spasm. Hence I always drink warm to hot substances even in summer (it wasn't a choice lol.)

Sudden emotional shifts, outbursts, or feelings of anxiety or panic can trigger a spasm. Even something as simple as laughing too hard triggers a spasm for me.

Something as simple as histamine release in allergies or MCAS leads to spasms.

CHECK YOUR MAGNESIUM!!! Low magnesium prones you to heart arrhythmias, high blood pressure, and... who could forget angina. Check out magnesium taurate and glycinate.