Anyone taking Verapamil??

[Taysgrama]

Good afternoon all - since my valve replacement surgery in May, 2008, I have been having some odd symptoms - my heart will start racing (153 when I was in the ER) and it will do that for, like 30 minutes or so. My cardio doc gave me Verapamil 80 mg to take when it starts racing and has gone on for 30 minutes or more. I already have low blood pressure (real low) so they do not want me taking it daily, unless I have issues. Well, since Friday, I have taken one pill a day and I am not feeling the greatest in the world. I hate to call my doc again since he seems to think that it should not bother me that much. He has me wearing a heart monitor from Cardio Net that I have to wear for another week and then he said that he would make the decision of whether to place one (a monitor) in my chest for 6 months. I hit the "report an event" button on average of 15 times per day and that is only when I am awake.
I do not mind telling you that I am scared. Anyone have any ideas? I had my aortic valve replaced with a St Jude Valve and a ring placed around my tricuspid valve on May 16, 2008 at Dayton Heart Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. I am a 48 year old female. Thanks all...

diana

 

[Bina]

Do you have a BP monitor, or can you take your pulse a few times a day? Write it down.
My heart will jump a bit with PVCs, which is acceptable, but when it races off with a tachy "run" that is really disturbing and requires more attention. I usually go to the ER where I can be monitored properly.
Fortunately you are being monitored and recording events. Call your cardio, don't be shy.
You may just need to be switched to daily Beta Blocker meds instead of the calcium channel blocker.(?)

 

[Taysgrama]

If it was just a little bit, I would not be so worried about it. I have gone to ER a couple of times and they give me medication and tell me to go to my cardio doctor the next day. I get the feeling that my doctor thinks I am over-reacting. I can only take these pills once a day, but I am needing to take it more often than that. My blood pressure is really low all the time so I cannot take anything that will make it too low. As it is right now, they are worried that I will pass out or faint because it gets too low. I took a pill every day since Thursday and I am only allowed to take one a day if I have issues. I may end up at the ER tonight since I am having a 3rd episode today. Thanks.......diana

 

[Bina]

Most hospitals will give Sotalol for a very high, fast heart rate of over 150 beats per minute.
I have to take Metoprolol every single day to control my crazy heart, it works when taken regularly.
I also drink only water, eat low fat, small meals, NO salt, NO stress.
When my heart is racing from stress, I can't just take another BP pill because then my BP will definitely get too low.
So, in case of severe stress, I have a few low dose Ativan pills on hand.

 

[Duff Man]

I'm taking verapamil. I'm pretty sure I felt like ass for about a good week. Just tired and I could sleep for 15 hours at a time if I wanted.

Verpamil is usually effective for controlling ventricular heart rate. There's technical reasons why it might not be good for some people, such as those with Wolfe-parkinson-white syndrom, but you've already had an EKG which I believe rules that out. Long QT interval and st segment delta waves are the main signs.

It sounds like you're having supra-ventricular tachycardia... but I am not a doctor... standard disclaimer applies.

Have you tried a vagal maneuver? Next time it happens, bear down like you're going "number 2". This usually stops the arrhythmia pretty much instantly for a lot of people.

What dose verapmil are you on? Is it the Extended Release form?

 

[Taysgrama]

I am on the 80 mg dose and he only has me taking it when I have an episode that lasts 15 minutes or longer. I have tried the bear down trick, but it does not work for me. I am usually resting (sitting down watching TV or driving when these episodes occur. My doctor does not really have any idea why it is happening either that or he really is not concerned and is just doing the monitoring thing to shut me up. My blood pressure usually runs about 90/69, if that helps anyone......diana

 

[Duff Man]

That's a tough situation to be in and honestly I don't know what you should do. If your BP was higher you could just take verapamil ER or a beta blocker every day... but it sounds like you'll bottom out.

If it were me, I would measure my blood pressure without the verapamil and compare it to while I'm on the verapmil. I would also carefully observe any symptoms of syncope/low bp. I'd Take those measurements to my doc along with recorded observations and see what could be done about taking a regular every day dose.

There's also the electrophysiology/ablation route. That might also lower your BP though.

 

[Mary]

I am on the 80 mg dose and he only has me taking it when I have an episode that lasts 15 minutes or longer. I have tried the bear down trick, but it does not work for me. I am usually resting (sitting down watching TV or driving when these episodes occur. My doctor does not really have any idea why it is happening either that or he really is not concerned and is just doing the monitoring thing to shut me up. My blood pressure usually runs about 90/69, if that helps anyone......diana

Diana,
I'm just reading this thread and the one you started about your "feeling yucky". I don't think your cardiologist is trying very hard to figure out what's wrong, and you're paying him for his services!!!
Perhaps he doesn't have an answer, but he at least owes you an explanation of what he thinks might be happening.
When did you have your last echo? I would be pitching a fit to find out what's going on.
I don't know if this reply helps, but maybe it will make you more willing to light a fire under his white coat and get some answers.

 

[Mark Wagner]

Hi Diana,

As you may have read on another thread, I am currently fighting endocardits. While in the hospital, my heart went into a 3rd degree heart block. Another words my electrical system was not sending messages to the lower part of my heart. One of the first things the cardiologists did was to stop the Verapamil 120mg twice daily. It can wreak havoc on the hearts electrical system in some patients, so they wanted to rule that out. I was taking Verapamil for migraines, so they just put me on Divalproex 500mg twice daily. Verapamil is also used to lower blood pressure so watch you BP. I hope you get the answers you need so you can rest easy.