Is this Angina?

[Mooty2001]

I have had previous MI's & have heart failure since 2003. I was relatively stable and active until last year when I began to get regular angina attacks on a weekly basis but strangely almost entirely at rest. They would respond to GTN spray. I was on Nicorandil 30mg bd so the consultant also put me on Isosorbide Mononitrate at 10mgbd from last August. This worked initially but since Jan 2011 I have been getting what I thought was angina again. I had a stress test and a perfusion scan and the consultant has increased my Mononitrate dose to 20mg bd. He does not however think I have angina as such because the scan did not indicate such. He referred to the possibility of it being a microvascular issue and that he may even take me off the Mononitrate. I had angina again at the weekend and yet again at rest.I have always ben atypical and on each of my heart attacks the medical profession said I was ok only to be proved wrong!
I would welcome any thoughts as to the possible causes of the pain if not angina and the potential risk factor. Is it a much lower grade risk than unstable angina? Is treatment basically by medication as much as I can tolerate? As many of those who suffer a long term condition I would accept I suffer depression which may be a factor.

[ChatterAlly]

I have these too and they are spasms.  You can research vasospasms for more information.  Nitro always works for me, but it is a nuisance at night.  I wake up as many as 5 times and have to take the nitro. I lose a lot of sleep with these. And I do work. The sad part about this is it is hard to diagnose these. They aren't always looking for this when you are being tested.  It just so happened I was in the ICU when they started up.  It took some convincing, as I was told the monitor was acting crazy because I had moved.  I was finally able to convince the nurses the monitor and alarms went off only when I had these pains.  They studied the data from the monitor more closely and realized I was having vasospasms.  It is hard to deal with until you have someone's attention. Taking a calcium channel blocker has helped, not cured, but helped.  Take care, Ally

[jrbon]

As far as I understand, if it were a microvascular issue it will happen not only at rest.
A possibility could be an arterial spasm.

Jesus