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Hello,
I have been prescribed Verapamil. Does anyone have any experiences they would like to share with me? I was given nifedipine last week but had a serious headache side effect so the doctor prescribed the verapamil. Curious and nervous to take any drug.
Thank you.

hi destiny3,
verapamil was prescribed for me, too. it seems to facilitate blood flow in the extremities. it must also help somewhat w/ pain symptoms because i've noticed in the evenings when my hands hurt & it's time for another dose of verapamil, about 20 min. to a half-hour after i take sr verapamil my hands don't hurt quite as much. i still get attacks & wear heated gloves, but the verapamil seems to help. That is, perhaps the attacks would be more severe w/o the drug. When i first began taking the drug, i experienced some dizziness/lightheadedness in the mornings, which is minimal 1 1/2 yrs later. hope this info. & verapamil helps you.

Verapamil is not the most frequently prescribed drug in the family of calcium channel blockers. Nifedipine (Procardia) is the one most often given to Raynaud's sufferers. But I also had headaches on nifedipine and switched to verapamil over 20 years ago and find it helps reduce the severity and frequency of my attacks (along with some better lifestyle habits, dressing warmer, and other things I got smarter about over time).

Verapamil did not test as well as some other drugs in the CCB family for Raynaud's, and some doctors claim it's not effective for us, but my rheumatologist says it's just the law of averages. The majority of patients may not have responded well to verapamil in the study, but some patients did. Every patient is different and you have to find what works best for your body. There are dozens of drugs in the category, so if the one you're prescribed isn't working, or you experience side effects that don't go away, just keep asking your doctor for another one to try.

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Frostie

Thank you for the info. I have felt much better even after only three days.

Calan or verapamil was given to me back in the mid and later 1990s. This was for my Raynaud's. This had alot of side effects, not as effective for ME with the Raynauds. Since Side effects outweighed the benefits, we stayed with that med for a few short years. I was given this by the cardiologists at Mayo/MN. One thing we found was that we could not fine tune it with the doses available. Got to be a dangerous issue.
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Adalat was the next step, as now the continued calan raised other issues, including some BP ones. Over the next few years, adalat moved into the same pattern as the calan, but not as severe with side effects. Yet, meds compatibility was again an issue. I had issues with all I wanted/needed to take as suppliments and scripted.
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Currently on diovan. This deals with issues with the BP at the kidney pressure level, rather than elsewhere. Since we are dealing with medications that are for blood pressure regulation, not specifically a Raynaud's answer, you have to choose which effects you want on the body.
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With being on the diovan, I have added TR nitroglycerin BID. I love being where side effects are so minimal. Of course, I started with bedtime dose, then added the daytime as my body got used to it. With nitro, headaches could be an issue.

I am about 2.5 years in with the nitro use. I have nitro paste for the emergency issues that happen here in the deep tundra of a cold MN winter. As with any medication, THIS must be followed to the T. And you know when you get to the point where you HAVE to use it.
I am at the point where this is the most my Raynauds has been controlled. Almost forgotten. I can swim in a cool pool and have no issues. I won't stop using the SMART LIST we all have of the DON'T DOs.
I find my hands DON'T HURT anymore. I am not watching time after time of attack after attack. My fingers and toes have had trauma of damaged tissue. Thank goodness they healed. My several times a day issues have moved to maybe once a week in the deep of the winter, so controlled in the rest of the year. You do stupid things that might set it off, so you can't count that.

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Joyce, MN