Antianginal refers to anything that prevents or relieves angina, a type of chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart. Some synonyms for antianginal include:
- Anti-ischemic: refers to medications that improve blood flow to the heart muscle, preventing ischemia or a lack of oxygen supply to the heart.
- Coronary vasodilator: medications that help dilate the blood vessels in the heart, increasing blood flow to relieve angina.
- Nitrate: a class of drugs that relaxes smooth muscle in blood vessels, reducing the workload on the heart and improving blood flow.
- Calcium channel blocker: reduces the amount of calcium that enters heart muscle cells and blood vessel walls, which helps relax the muscles and improve blood flow.
- Beta-blocker: medication that blocks adrenaline and reduces the heart's workload, lowering blood pressure and reducing the chance of chest pain.