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New Message Board Archives >> 2004 Posts >> Re: Antibiotics, Food, & Calcium Channel Block
(Message started by: floridian on Sep 17th, 2004, 10:53pm)

Title: Re: Antibiotics, Food, & Calcium Channel Block
Post by floridian on Sep 17th, 2004, 10:53pm
I put up a post recently titled "Verapamil + Erythromycin = Heart Attack??" ... Erythromycin (like grapefruit juice) increases the amount of Verapamil in the blood. Too much verapamil can slow the heart too much, cause abnormal rhythms and increase the risk of heart attack.  With Emycin, the risk is "relatively small" (2 or 3 people per thousand that mix the drugs) - not a problem unless you or your loved one is in that small group. Grapefruit can be more powerful, depending on the dose.  

It will take a while before all doctors and pharmacists are aware of this, and there is always a chance they fail to educate their patients.  So we need to educate each other.

As far as the "Myocardial Infarction Risk: 60% over Diuretics" line, I think that was written for treating high blood pressure.  If you only have high blood pressure, diuretics are the drug of choice, if they work for you. CCBs are somewhat riskier.  But for clusters, verapamil works and diuretics don't, so the higher risk has to be taken if verapamil is used as a preventive. Higher doses are riskier than lower doses (not surprisingly).

There is a difference in terms of short acting forms of CCBs vs long acting CCBS in terms of heart risk (long acting less risky).  Also, there may be a difference between Verapamil and other CCBs in terms of risks - some studies say that Verapamil is less risky than others.  

Title: Re: Antibiotics, Food, & Calcium Channel Block
Post by broomhilda on Sep 20th, 2004, 1:17pm
BUMP, FYI for those who need it, very important info!

Title: Re: Antibiotics, Food, & Calcium Channel Block
Post by Jayne on Sep 20th, 2004, 1:30pm
when I get my verapamil from those nice people at Eckerds, it has "do not eat/ drink grapefruit with this drug" On the bottle.

Title: Re: Antibiotics, Food, & Calcium Channel Block
Post by Jonny on Sep 20th, 2004, 7:22pm
While we are on the subject of donts

Dont slack on your intake of salt if your taking Lithium.

..............................................jonny




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