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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Women on Verapamil
        
(Message started by: Tray-C on Jul 14^th, 2002, 1:53pm)

Title: Women on Verapamil
Post by Tray-C on Jul 14^th, 2002, 1:53pm

I weigh 125 lbs and my doc won't let me try Verapamil because he says I'll faint every time I stand up due to the drop in blood pressure.

I'm wondering about those women on Verapamil out there...
1. What is your body size?

2. Do you ever get light headed?

3. Did your doc try to talk you out of Verapamil before prescribing it?

Title: Re: Women on Verapamil
Post by Mastifflvr28 on Jul 14^th, 2002, 2:01pm

Hi Tray-C
1. 5 foot, around 130

2. Never

3. Nope, in the 14 or so years I've been on verap (once a year) has the doc cautioned me. Of course I knew to be cautious by reading on my own.
My blood pressure always stays the same, I'm on 120mg immediate release twice a day and it is working wonders.
Good luck
Mast

Title: Re: Women on Verapamil
Post by Ueli on Jul 14^th, 2002, 2:57pm

Tracy,

It looks to me your doctor didn't do his home work. >:(

Some people get high blood pressure because their heart muscle contract too fast and/or their arteries are tightened too much by the muscles around them. The primary use of Verapamil is to treat these two conditions.

However, for an otherwise healthy clusterhead, with a normal heart beat and a normal blood pressure (because the arteries are in a normal relaxed state) Verapamil has no influence at all on the blood pressure. For us the effect Verapamil has is to make the blood vessels react sluggish to nerve signals, and in this way damping their fast expansion that is part of a cluster attack.

My blood pressure has been on the low side all my life, and it has not changed in the last 6 year since I'm taking Verapamil, currently 560 mg/day.

There are a very few people who cannot tolerate Verapamil as it causes dizziness for them. But Verapamil is such a successful CH preventative, the one with the least side effects, that it should not be dismissed on pure guess work.

You should insist to try Verapamil, and should it indeed cause you excessive dizziness, you can always stop it again.

PFNADs
Ueli

Title: Re: Women on Verapamil
Post by Ann on Jul 15^th, 2002, 7:48am

Hi Tracy! Here are the answers to your questions.

#1 5'3" 117 pounds

#2 yes I get light headed all the time. At one point I was taking 480 mgs a day. I was getting serious heart palpitations, but I'll take those to a hit any day!! I've started tapering since my cycle is now over.

#3 Neuo never questioned it. He knew it was the best preventative and wanted me to get relief as soon as possible. We started with a real low dose to finally get up to 480 mgs regular release. It did the trick

If you want to try it... insist....it has helped so many people here!

Good luck
hugs
Ann