Glyceryl Trinitrate = BOOM! ?

[Warp Renegade]

As far as I know, Glyceryl Trinitrate is just another name for Nitro Glycerine. Obviously this is really explosive but I've never heard of anyone having their Angina medication blowing up in their face.

What stablising compunds/methods do they use? Does it stay safe over a long period?

How was it discovered in the first place that this specific high explosive in low doses can be used as a Vasodilator?

I think if I had heart problems and someone asked me to spray an untested explosive into my mouth it would probably turn the tight chest into an all out heart attack :D

 

[Deleted member 170540]

Glyceryl trinitrate can be stabilized by storing it as a dilute solution, or by absorbing it in a suitable solid material. Such preparations don't explode easily.

If I remember correctly, the vasodilating effect was discovered when factory workers involved in the making of nitroglycerine were exposed to the fumes of the material, and reported strange symptoms.

 

[Psychedelic Jay]

They named it that way just for this purpose, so you wouldn't get scared.

And no, there is not enough to explode in a pill or render it dangerous and the binders are rendering it very stable.

Now, if you let a whole bottle sit, and your pills sweat, call the bomb squad.
Don't touch them, pure nitroglycerin that has sweated out is very unstable and will explode on contact with a static force...

 

[Warp Renegade]

So do the products become more unstable over time? Is it a medication where you should really pay attention to the "use by" date?