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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2003 >> Verapamil Reaction.
        
(Message started by: JoeKen on May 26^th, 2003, 1:39pm)

Title: Verapamil Reaction.
Post by JoeKen on May 26^th, 2003, 1:39pm

:)
Hi All,
I would be interested to hear of people's experience with Verapamil. My GP offered me Verapamil or Sumatriptan tabs to counter my CHs, which are not of the usual type. lasting 36 to 48 hours at KIP 6 or 7, 3 times a week on average when in cycle, usually for 2 to 3 months starting end Feb/early March. I chose Sumatriptan and was prescribed 4 x 50mg tabs which worked very well and killed the beast after 1 to 2 hours.
On holiday recently in Italy I discussed my headaches with a local Pharmacist who recommended me to try Verapamil tabs, 1 x 40mg per day. I followed her advice and experienced the weirdest reaction, which I think that I can put down to the Verapamil.
12 hours after taking the first tablet I experienced a feeling of being very very unwell in the stomach region, with 'light-headedness' and a strongly pounding heart, pulse rate about normal. This attack came and went within an hour, but repeated to a lesser degree twice more during the night. Because I took the first tab in mid morning and the first attack happened about 12 hours later, between courses in a local 'ristorante', I at first assumed that I had experienced a mild food poisoning, particularly as the attacks then began to be accompanied by a very hot feeling in the very low abdomen, so I continued with the Verapamil tabs for 3 more days. The attacks continued, levelling off in severity at about the level of the second attack.
As an experiment I then discontinued the Verapamil for 3 days and the attacks slowly faded, but on resuming the Verapamil the attacks started again.
I ask the question because, if my GP gets fed up with signing scrips for expensive Sumatriptan he may try to put me on Verapamil which is much much cheaper. If the symptoms described above have been experienced by others, and therefore can be blamed on Verapamil, I need to have my defence ready to resist this approach.
Further thought occurs: - is 40mg a normal first dose of Verapamil for this purpose, as reading the available information on the subject, Verapamil appears to be a powerful medicine usually prescribed for heart problems, which I didn't have before taking the Verapamil.
Any input/feedback would be appreciated.
JoeKen.
PS the Verapamil does not seem to have improved my verbal diarrhoea, does it?

Title: Re: Verapamil Reaction.
Post by brewcrew on May 26^th, 2003, 2:28pm

That don't sound like Verapamil to me. I've had my prescription filled in 120 mg tabs, and I take two in the morning and two at night for a total of 480 mg/day. Also, it takes about a week to build up in my system before it becomes effective.

Also, I've read of others on this board who take 720 mg/day or more. The only bummer side effects are slight sleepiness/drowsiness and wicked constipation. One of the beneficial side effects - for those of us who tend toward high blood pressure - is that it lowers blood pressure.

I'm thinking that 40 mg a couple of times wouldn't do anything like you describe. Maybe it was the flu or something.

Title: Re: Verapamil Reaction.
Post by Margi on May 26^th, 2003, 2:51pm

on 05/26/03 at 13:39:46, JoeKen wrote:

My GP offered me Verapamil or Sumatriptan tabs to counter my CHs, which are not of the usual type. lasting 36 to 48 hours at KIP 6 or 7, 3 times a week on average when in cycle, usually for 2 to 3 months starting end Feb/early March.

First of all....that really doesn't sound like clusters. I would sure recommend you see a cluster knowledgeable neurologist for a second opinion. It sounds WAY more like migraines. Clusters do have pain free time in between attacks, each individual attack lasting usually no longer than 1-2 hours. Migraines can last for up to 72 hours. Also, clusters are in multiple attacks per day. Migraines are multiple times per week/month, as you mention. Imitrex (Sumatriptan) will definately help abort migraines, as it will clusters, but (as a migrainer myself) I've never heard of Verapamil for a migraine treatment.

Second, there IS a risk with Verapamil (other than those BrewCrew mentioned). It IS a high blood pressure med, as well, and it does work to control that. However, if you tend towards normal or low blood pressure, it will still lower your pressure! We have one family member here who had a REALLY bad time taking verapamil - it did take her blood pressure dangerously low.

Please, JoeKen, get a second opinion. You're living proof that taking cluster meds for non-cluster symptoms can be dangerous.

Title: Re: Verapamil Reaction.
Post by JoeKen on May 26^th, 2003, 2:58pm

:)
Thanks BrewCrew,
It wasn't like any flu that I have had previously - several hours of absolute normality (as normal as I get, anyway !!) , interspaced with hour long periods of feeling very very sick, heavily pounding heart, light headedness and some very mild confusion. I take comfort in your assertion that 40mg per day of Verapamil is unlikely to cause these symptoms, but something did and I don't think that it was flu. I am now beginning to think that maybe my first thought of mild food poisoning was right - we had just eaten a first course of pasta with very small shellfish (local name Vognole), as the other ingredient, at a harbour-side 'ristorante' in southern Italy, and I seem to recall that shellfish are a well known cause of food poisoning.
I guess that the only way to prove it is to resume the Verapamil dose and see what happens, but I am in no hurry to go through that experience again,
Thanks for your input.
JoeKen

Title: Re: Verapamil Reaction.
Post by JoeKen on May 26^th, 2003, 3:13pm

:)
Hi Margi,
Thanks for your feedback, and your concern. My GP prescibed the medication on the recommendation of a Consultant Neurologist, who seemed knowledgeable on the subject (that's how the health system functions here in the UK). As I began to describe my symptoms, (which I acknowledge are a long way from those of a classic CH sufferer - see my footnote on all my postings), the consultant was correctly finishing my sentences for me - what more proof did I need that at last someone had recognised what I was suffering from and said that he could help. I also have a long history of migraines and I can categorically assure you that my attacks were definitely not migraines !!!
My blood pressure, which I have spent the last year monitoring regularly, for unrelated reasons, is normally 75/80 over 125/130, OK for a 63 year old I am told. Would a lowering of this by Verapamil cause the symptoms I had?
Please see my reply to BrewCrew, which I was posting as your reply came in - perhaps it was food poisoning after all?
Thanks for your input.
JoeKen

Title: Re: Verapamil Reaction.
Post by oringkid on May 27^th, 2003, 5:39pm

Did you tell your doctor about these symptoms? You should.

The symptoms you described sound very much like panic attacks. Did you actually vomit or just feel sick?
Reason I think you ought to advise a doctor, is that panic attacks are sometimes confused with heart attacks.
(normally a person thinks they are having a heart attack when it is actually a panic attack though)

Interestly, I found out when looking at Verapamil info that it is sometimes used to TREAT panic attacks!

I checked on symptoms bp wise... wondering if it could be a sudden lowering of bp, but the symptoms you described fit more of a bp spike except that a spike usually causes more severe symptoms AND verapamil is used to LOWER blood pressure.

As far as mild food poisoning.... don't know, almost all food poisoning involves diarrhea and vomiting. Except shell fish which is a nerve toxin that can cause paralysis, unusual sensations and hot-cold reversal among others.

So, it is a mystery! But I would check with at doctor if I were you.

Good luck!
Sherry