Controlling weight, reducing the amount of fat in the diet, and avoiding emotional upsets may also help. Angina is often controlled by drugs. The most commonly prescribed drug for the immediate relief of angina is nitroglycerin, which relieves pain by widening blood vessels. This allows more blood to flow to the heart muscle and also decreases the workload of the heart. It is taken when discomfort occurs or is expected.
Doctors frequently prescribe other drugs, to be taken regularly, that reduce the heart's workload.
Beta-blockers slow the heart rate and lessen the force of the heart muscle contraction. Calcium channel blockers are also effective in reducing the frequency and severity of angina attacks. However new clinical trials have shown that people who suffer an Unstable Angina attack are at risk of an actual heart attack or even open heart surgery within a few days or a year from the incident. In South Africa that means 7300 lives saved per year. Antiplatelet agents prevent blood platelet adhesion and the formation of blood clots that could result in a heart attack.