Trimetazidine, a drug that prevents heart-related chest pain, is a better choice than “nitrate” drugs, such as Nitro-DUR and Isordil, for men with heart disease who are taking Viagra (sildenafil), new research suggests.

There have been concerns about dangerously low blood pressure when Viagra is combined with nitrates, the authors explain, yet many men with heart disease are currently seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction.

As reported in the American Journal of Cardiology, Dr. Giuseppe M.C. Rosano from Cardiovascular Research Unit in Rome, and colleagues compared nitrate therapy with trimetazidine in 38 men with heart disease who were using Viagra.

Trimetazidine seemed to provide better blood flow to the heart during sexual activity than did nitrate therapy, the authors note.

There were no serious side effects with either treatment, the researchers found, though transient headaches were reported by some patients on nitrate therapy and after taking Viagra.

The results suggest that men who’ve been taking nitrates for a number of years may be able to switch to trimetazidine therapy when Viagra is prescribed for erectile dysfunction, the researchers conclude.

###

SOURCE: American Journal of Cardiology, February 1, 2005.