Posted by RT (152.160.12.235) on December 09, 1999 at 12:17:17:
In Reply to: Questions on Verapamil posted by Karen on December 08, 1999 at 20:05:06:
I take Verapamil strictly as a preventative, with great success. I take 240 mg a.m. and p.m., and it completely wipes out my headaches - they never come. It takes about 2 weeks for the med to get into my system, though, and during that time I do a tapering dose of prednisone to 'cover the spread'. My neurologist says Verapamil is well-tolerated and relatively safe for most people, so it's a good choice. Occasionally (every fourth cluster attack or so) the 480 mg/day doesn't quite completely knock the headaches out, so my doc adds a low-dose of Pamelor with it (also well-tolerated, with few side effects) for a few weeks. This combo has never failed to prevent all headaches for me. I stay on the med (or meds) for 2-3 months, then wean myself off and wait 10-12 months for the next cluster cycle. I certainly give Verap. a high recommendation. Good Luck.