Medication questions

  How does Verapamil affect ones ability to excercise. I have read that it lessens the strength of contractions of the heart muscle and it is not a good choice for those who excercise regularly, such as I.  Would it be detrimental to one to continue to excercise with a heart rate in the upper end of the target rate (155 for my age 51).
  My wife has found the CCF forum for MS and has led me to the heart section which seems to be a very good forum.  Thank  you very much!

[CCF Cardio MD - MTR]

Dear Jack, thank you for your question and your kind words about the heart forum.  Verapamil is a medication that is commonly used to treat high blood pressure that also slows down the heart rate.  For most people who take verapamil, there is no noticeable difference in their ability to exercise even with the slowed heart rate.  Your maximum predicted heart rate for your age would be 169, so if you can exercise at a heart rate of 155, then I doubt the verapamil is impairing your exercise capacity.  However, the best thing to do is to speak with your physician about your concerns.  Perhaps there is another medication that can be used to control your blood pressure that doesn't have the side effects of verapamil.
I hope you find this information useful.  Good luck!  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Specific diagnoses and therapies can only be provided by your physician.  
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic, then call 1-800-CCF-CARE and ask for Desk F-25 or Desk F-15.  The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center website (www.ccf.org/heartcenter) contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to make appointments and to select a cardiologist best suited to evaluate your cardiac condition.