Verapimil

[steve1273]

My name is Steve and I have suffered migraines all my life. (I'm 37)  I have tried al sorts of meds Topamax worked great but caused kidney stones, Depekote cause horrible nightmares. I was prescribed Lyrica  but made me feel bad which most of these meds do when you first start them. Today I was prescribed Verapmil, does any body know any thing about this drug. I also take Tramadol for the headaches when I get them, and hydrocodone for a total knee replacement that did not help at all. I am averaging at least one migraine a week, it seems the older i get the worse they get. The doctor told me today that usually the get better with age. all they can tell me is that the headaches are hereditary. My grandmother had them( my dad's mother) and my aunt and uncle get them also ( my dad's brother and sister). They also tell me that one or both of my kids will end up with these headaches.

[achilles2]

I forgot to mention I also cannot have anything with sodium laural(th) sulfate and this is the main ingredient in many soaps and detergents (even natural ones like Seventh Generation) and sometimes is an inert ingredient in supplements and meds.

[achilles2]

I do not know about verpmil but I know a lot about Lyrica and hate it. I gained weight-- 12lbs in a month and I felt like a zombie. I know for some people it can cause depression and even suicidal thoughts.

I am curious did anyone ever have you keep food diary? I have many foods that I cannot eat such as gluten (wheat, barley, rye), dairy, any artificial sweeteners, msg (now called umami), high fructose corn syrup (now called corn sugar), certain nuts, and nitrates/nitrites (processed meats).

I hope this helps,
achilles2

[curial28]

I did not have any neck pain the three days I was on it so I would definitely bring that to the doctors attention immediately! eek. As for the Lyrica...it is worth a try. I have never tried it so I can't say from experience but I have also been on Topomax. It worked for me as well and yet it pains me to say that i still had to make the decision to get off of it due to the numbness in my fingers and nose.face.
If you have tried a number of medications or any different techniques please take a look at my posted question "Relief....anyone seen it?" Maybe you can share if any of those meds have worked for you or ones that you have tried that I have not because I know there are so many more.

[FurballsMom]

Wow, I'm on a considerably lower dose.  The neurologist has me on a dose that he says won't affect the blood pressure but is supposed to help prevent the migraines.  It's only the lowest dose they prescribe, 80 mg.  I never heard of starting someone on a higher dose.

[steve1273]

Thanks for your post, I took the Verpamil for the first time last night. The does was 120mg, about 30 to 45 minutes after I took I woke up with pain in my neck. Did this happen to you? My blood pressure has been very good for some time and i hope this doesn't cause any problems. I may try the Lyrica again i really didn't take it long enough to see if it would work. I'm to the point now that I'm willing to try any thing. My mother and my wife both used to work at the doctor's office I go and I was pretty much their guinea pig when some thing new came along. Like I said before Topamax worked best for me but was hard on my kidney( I was born with only one) and the side effects were rough also. Numbness in my fingers, stuttering, knowing what I wanted to say and not being able to say it and dizziness. I hope you can find some thing to help you!

[curial28]

I have suffered from chronic daily headaches/migraines for the past 10 years (I'm 24). I was recently prescribed Verapimil as most anti-seizure medications gave me too many side effects and anti-depressants did not aide in a decrease of severity, frequency, or duration. I had to stop Verapimil within 3 days of starting it due to the severe drop in my blood pressure. I was only taking the initial half dose of 120mg rather than the prescribed 240mg but I knew this would be a risk in trying it as my blood pressure is normally averaging 110/70.
Verapimil is supposedly a wonderful calcium channel blocker in the reduction of migraines as well as reducing blood pressure. However, to be careful because there are some studies coming out that may pair long term Verapimil use with the acquisition of gout.
I do hope it works for you and you are able to get some relief!