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Tolerance sometimes develops to nitrate therapy. This means that the body gets used to the effects of the medication and it is no longer as effective. To get around this problem, therapy may be timed so that there are nitrate-free periods, this way the body never gets used to the effects. It is important that patients stick to the timing of doses explained by the doctor, to avoid the development of tolerance.
Side effects of nitrates include flushing, headaches and low blood pressure (hypotension). These effects occur due to the general vasodilation that nitrates cause.
Nitrates are available in a variety of formulations, including:
The different formulations provide flexibility in the onset of action and duration of the nitrate effects (e.g. immediate, short duration effects or slow-onset, sustained duration effects). The availability of different formulations allows doctors to choose formulations that are right for each patient’s condition and circumstances. The different formulations can also make taking the medication easy and convenient for the patient.