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Topic: verapmil bad for heart (Read 730 times) |
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jckgales
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verapmil bad for heart
« on: Oct 9th, 2007, 6:33am » |
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Went to Dr. to have verap. increased, I am at 240mg sr , he said I needed a ekg, well I got one and it read heart block of 437 and is now sending me to a cardiologist, and said he cant up verap. Dr said new studies are finding this stuff is causing heart attacks. Has any one heard this. Also get reg. ekg"s.
Also if anyone knows what this means, he didnt explain real well.
Jackie
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Gator
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #1 on: Oct 9th, 2007, 7:47am » |
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This was posted here not too long ago. It appears there is an increased risk of atrioventricular block and bradycardia with high doses of verapamil in a certain percentage of the population. I'm not sure what constitutes a "high dose," but at least your doc seems to be aware of the problem and is being cautious.
Quote:Neurology. 2007 Aug 14;69(7):668-75.
Electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with cluster headache on verapamil therapy.
Cohen AS, Matharu MS, Goadsby PJ.
Headache Group, Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, UK.
BACKGROUND: High dose verapamil is an increasingly common preventive treatment in cluster headache (CH). Side effects include atrioventricular block and bradycardia, although their incidence in this population is not clear.
METHOD: This audit study assessed the incidence of arrhythmias on high dose verapamil in patients with cluster headache.
RESULTS: Of three hundred sixty-nine patients with cluster headache, 217 outpatients (175 men) received verapamil, starting at 240 mg daily and increasing by 80 mg every 2 weeks with a check electrocardiogram (EKG), until the CH was suppressed, side effects intervened, or to a maximum daily dose of 960 mg. One patient had 1,200 mg/day. Eighty-nine patients (41%) had no EKGs. One hundred eight had EKGs in the hospital notes, and a further 20 had EKGs done elsewhere. Twenty-one of 108 patients (19%) had arrhythmias. Thirteen (12%) had first-degree heart block (PR > 0.2 s), at 240 to 960 mg/day, with one requiring a permanent pacemaker. Four patients had junctional rhythm, and one had second-degree heart block. Four patients had right bundle branch block. There was bradycardia (HR < 60 bpm) in 39 patients (36%), but verapamil was stopped in only 4 patients. In eight patients the PR interval was lengthened, but not to >0.2 s. The incidence of arrhythmias on verapamil in this patient group is 19%, and bradycardia 36%.
CONCLUSION: We therefore strongly recommend EKG monitoring in all patients with cluster headache on verapamil, to observe for the potential development of atrioventricular block and symptomatic bradycardia.
PMID: 17698788
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Hopefully someone with a lot more medical knowledge than I will come along and provide an answer to your question. In the mean time, don't get yourself worked up into a panic. See the cardiologist and go from there.
Wishing you good luck and pf time while you get this sorted out.
Mike
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VinceFromOhio
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #2 on: Oct 9th, 2007, 3:04pm » |
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I was on Verapamil through several cluster periods for years.....mostly though my 30's. I began noticing chest pains when I STOPPED the medication once in remission. Toward the end of my usage of the drug, my doctor had me up to 480 mg per day. I stopped taking Verapamil three clusters ago (around 5 years) due to these problems I was having. Since using it, I've had stress tests, EKGs, heart scans, etc....and nothing seems to be wrong - my tests have all been negative.
The decision to stop the Verapamil rather than risk future heart problems was mostly based on the fact that it wasn't REALLY helping....it seemed to lessen duration time and severity...but not always. Having gone through three episodic periods with NO prescriptions, I must say I haven't noticed that much of a difference - not enough to inspire me to go back on the drug.
Right now I'm nearing one month in "active clusterville". I'm getting desperate enough to try Imitrex, which I've never messed with before. I'm open to advice about this if anyone wants to give it.
Thanks.....
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Ctech
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #3 on: Oct 9th, 2007, 7:56pm » |
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Vince,
Have you tried 02? I don't take ANY meds for my CH - only 02 and it works great.
I don't like taking meds if I don't have to because I think it will just cause me more problems down the road. I take a beta-blocker now for heart palpitations & HB and I am thinking about stopping it because it does not seem to help very much. If the 02 fails me my next line of attack will be the cluster buster treatment.
I here that meds can cause someone to go chronic and that is not something I'm willing to chance...
-Ctech
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jckgales
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #4 on: Oct 9th, 2007, 8:53pm » |
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Thanks for all the info, I to have chest pains but not sure if their from the verap. I'm only on 240mg/per day and it did seem to help at first. I also use o2 but most of the time my ha comes back in 20 min. so I usually try to take one of my abortives zomig, or stadol, did also have midrin, but they quit making it. I have decided to try to get off all abortives as much as possible. with o2 and ibupropin or excedrin and red bull. just to see if all these meds are making things worse.
I have also tried myco bags with no luck. I also have 4 lesions on my brain and a rhumatoid factor of 34 and just keep getting more tests with no results as of yet.
sorry for going on. But I will see the cardiologist and see what he has to say.
Thanks
Jackie
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eyes_afire
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #5 on: Oct 9th, 2007, 9:30pm » |
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Everyone's different. Listen to your doc. There is a history of weak heart in my family so I decided to avoid verapamil for my most recent cycle. When I was taking it in the past I would have a fluttering heart sensation. And it did work rather well for me at killing CH.
--- Steve
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Ctech
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #6 on: Oct 10th, 2007, 12:53pm » |
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Be careful with the OTC meds...
I used to eat Ibuprofen like candy and it seemed to help some with the pain but looking back I believe it made my CH worse and may have extended my cycle.
-Chris
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Beastfodder
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #7 on: Oct 10th, 2007, 6:36pm » |
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Another vote for o2 - your doc seems switched on worth chatting about it.
All the best
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VinceFromOhio
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #8 on: Oct 14th, 2007, 9:43am » |
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on Oct 9th, 2007, 7:56pm, Ctech wrote:Vince,
Have you tried 02? I don't take ANY meds for my CH - only 02 and it works great.
-Ctech
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Ctech,
Yes, my headaches have been so bad this time that I'm currently set up at home with all the proper O2 equipment (thanks to my Doc) with the correct kind of mask including the humidifier bottle (my setup looks exactly like what you see here at clusterheadaches.com on the "oxygen info" page).
I've gotten mixed results from O2. If the headache is "mild".....a Kip5 or 6.....the O2 will kick the crap out of it in less than 10 minutes. However, for the full-blown BEAST, it hasn't been too effective, even when I get on it early in the attack.
Along with my setup for oxygen came my first prescription for Imitrex, which I've had to use twice now. The first time I took it while running around the house screaming - as if to run away from a "10". I was SO desperate I would have done ANYTHING at that moment. The Imitrex seemed to work very fast the first time. Between cold compresses, O2, and one Imitrex pill, the beast was effectively chased away in less than half an hour.
Last night I wasn't so lucky. I tried all the same stuff, but it kept coming back...and coming back STRONG. It took several hours to battle it last night, which has exhausted me. I did sleep for 4 hours and woke up fairly "clear" after having one of the worst nights of my life....and I've been going through this since 1985 - so I know what a "bad night" is!
I do have an appointment with my neurologist tomorrow to discuss other alternatives, as well as to explore why this particular episode is SO bad.
I just want it to be OVER already! ACK!!!!!
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VinceFromOhio
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Re: verapmil bad for heart
« Reply #9 on: Oct 20th, 2007, 9:16am » |
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Does anyone have any suggestions as to the best time of day to take Verapamil so it's at its maximum effectiveness for nighttime hits?
As some of you have read in other threads, I was having nosebleed problems being on O2. I'm about to go back on Verapamil today, although I haven't used it in years. I quit using in two or three cycles ago because I started getting chest pains when coming off the medication. At this point, I don't care anymore - I'm getting up 3-4 times every night with hits ranging anywhere from 6 to 9 and I just can't sleep anymore.
Although the Verapamil doesn't help me as much as I've read that it helps others, it does knock the intensity down a notch or two as well as cut down frequency and duration of each hit. This time I'm asking my Doc if I can ramp down my dosage as the cycle enters its final phases....maybe going from 240mg to 120mg....possibly even down to 60mg. This might help prevent the chest pains I experienced earlier when going off the medication abruptly.
--Vince
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