Opinion: Varapamil Side Effects

[LeighAnn7]

Hello:

Can anyone give me feed back on Verapamil? The side effects are adding up. Nausea, low pulse rate, nausea, fatique, chest pain and shortness of breathe (had that before med), muscle cramps.

Does anyone know if side efffects will go away soon? Will they improve. Did anyone have good experience on this or bad? Please help us understand this all.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

...concerned and tense

[EFT56]

Im on verapamil  320 mg per day - been on it for about 4 months now ,
have a few problems with it.. like swollen ankles - some aches and cramping in shoulders and sides - joints ache - and yes I get out of breath  here and there.. walking up stairs or doing something active !  its not for everyone !  I had paplaitions and high blood pressure. so was put back on it .. as I took it before , cant remember any problems while on it .. other than it didnt work well b.p ..?  im also taking a dieretic maxzide daily with the verapamil - they said it will stop the swelling ankles and cramps.
it did help the cramps , but not the swelling ankles.   if your on this combo of meds
remember to keep out of the heat (over 85deg F. )  and direct sunlight .. as you can dehydrate fast or rapid -  without knowing it .. This happened to me twice now..
it takes days to get hydrated and somewhat back to normal again..  

best as they say to keep hydrated while on these medications -  and take it easy and
dont get in the heat or sun !    for me I work everyday and have to get in the sun and
heat .. im looking into finding another doctor and changing the meds to something diffrent soon !!  

but verapamil isnt for everyone !  

[fizzixgal]

I've been on verapamil SR 180 mg b.i.d. for 4 years now for PVCs. I do have some fatigue and brain fog and have had episodes of chest pain that might or might not be related to the drug (had cardiolite treadmill and stress/echo recently to rule out significant CAD).

The two side effects that nearly everyone has, from what I've been told, are mild pitting oedema and constipation. I have both. The oedema is no big deal but the constipation is enough to make me think seriously about a change of medication.

[ireneo]

I was on Verapamil for a week. I took it and had the usual fatigue, dizziness, slower heart rate, muscle aches in my legs. I also had chest pain that went from the center of my chest into both shoulder areas plus I was very short of breath - puffing after walking across the room to answer the phone. I asked the pharmacist if these were normal side effects. He told me to go to the urgent care at the hospital. Got there and they put me in the ER. I was there for a few hours then sent home minus the Verapamil.  Recently I was put on Diltiazem and it worked just fine. Some fatigue and brain fog but no chest pain or SOB.

[jdrtwin1]

Hi there,

I know just how you are feeling.  However the chest pain and shortness of breathe may be something to report back to your doctor asap.

I've been on verapamil since I was 18 and i'm 21 now and still on it at a dose of 360mg, the side effects for me lasted about 5 days and I was ok afterwards.

I hope you feel better soon :)