Verapamil - has anyone tried it?

what does anybody know about this drug? I just heard about it.

I've tried it...am still on it, but it really doesn't do anything for me. Sorry.

Bummer - for you and me!

Shelli, If it doesnt work, why are you still taking it please?

P

Unfortunately it didn't do anything for my son's migraines either...was hoping it would, but just made him feel kind of lousy in general. But you never know how it might affect you. It might work!

Did nothing for me.

Martin

I have very low blood pressure (last time it was taken when I wasn't in pain it was 90/68...take that for the stereotype of a 40 pound overweight, fifty year old woman. And yes, the stereotype does come into play when I go into the ER with 130/80 and try to tell them its high).

If I take any of the blood pressure meds I stand up and go right down.

I had a 2 month trial of it over 5 years ago.

While, yes, it did decrease intensity, it also, on the other hand, increased frequency; which does seem to have become permanent, even though I only used it for 2 months.

It is a blood presure medicine that works by blocking the calcium channel. This worried me, because I don't get enough calcium as it is.

Before taking Verapamil, I never had high blood pressure (it actually boardered on being too low); after stopping the Verapamil, I sometimes register as having boarderline high blood pressure.

When you take it there are many things that you must avoid eating, like grapefruit, and the timing of the doses can be tricky.

Since the downside of Verapamil outweighed any benefits, I decided not to continue with it after my 2 month trial.

It is the only preventative that I have ever tried.

pen wrote:Shelli, If it doesnt work, why are you still taking it please?

P

I also take it for high blood pressure. Although I am going to ask my new headache doctor (when I see her) if I can lower the dose a bit. The high dose my neuro had me on makes me dizzy.

Made me dizzy too. Also come the winter, as I have low BP anyway, my fingers went white with the lack of circulation.
I swear I was better off before I ever had it, but probably just co incidence..

P

I was on it for a month. No effect on frequency or severity of headaches. On the positive side I did not end up with any side effects.

Tried it, didn't work.

I tried it for about 6 weeks. The first three weeks the dr. gradually upgraded my dosage from 80mg to 160mg to 240mg. Each time I would go up in dosage, I would get a headache for the first couple days. Once I hit the top dosage...I got a headache a week for the first two weeks. Then started November...and with the start of November came a 12 day headache. The doctor told me that it apparently wasn't working, so he moved me to propranolol...and that hasn't made anything better, unfortunately!

Didn't do anything for me. On the other hand, I had no side effects from it unlike some of the other BP medication tried for my migraines.

The beta blockers gave me tremendous side effects - passing out when I stood up, cold all the time, mentally slow, etc. I think they reduced the intensity of my migraines, but like was posted above, they increased the frequency. Eveytime I stood up too fast and started seeing "dots" from the low BP, I'd get a migraine as my blood surged back into my head.

Just because it didn't work for us doesn't mean it won't work for you!

amy wrote:what does anybody know about this drug? I just heard about it.

I have been on verapamil (calan) for about a year this time. I had been on it for about 20 (or so) years before! I stopped taking it to see if I still needed it, but it does _help_. The first time I was on it it was just a new idea my doctor had where he switched me from a different blood pressure pill. I've been on BP pills for almost 30 years total, and I'm not even 45 yet!

After I dropped the verapamil I felt great for about six months, so I thought I was good to go, but the headaches became much more severe and more common and eventually my doctor wanted to put me through detox for the shear number of pain killers I was taking on a regular basis. I stated to document each pain killer I took (over the counter aspirin, motrin, percogesic) and over the course of a couple months got it down to about 45 pills every ten days. Once I started to take verapamil again the pain killers went to about 10 every ten days.

As with adventuregirl, there is always a difficult period when the dosage changes and I'm also on the 240 MG, and SR (sustained Release, I found the "normal" verapamil made my heart race for hours after each dosage.)

(Six weeks go to from 80 mg to 240 mg? I have always gone a month at each dosage, working my way up or down on the dosage.)

So it "helps" but doesn't "solve" the problem. Everyone is different though, my doctor also provided me with some propranolol at one point, but that stuff GAVE me migraines!

Good luck!

I tried verapamil for a month and it did nothing for me. I just started Keppra now and waiting to see if it does anything. Anyone else tried Keppra?

I did and it made me crazy - hope it works better for you!