Verapamil?

[DebbieOSablada]

Hi... I know you've said you've tried EVERYTHING.. were you evaluated for TMDs and parafunction ??

[soprano]

I've taken verapamil for migraines and to bring down some temporarily high blood pressure. (Funny how near-constant, debilitating pain and watching my life and career fall apart will make the blood pressure rise.)

It helped with the migraines. The total number of migraines that I experienced each month was cut in half. (Unfortunately, this was not enough for me to return to a normal life.) It also dropped my blood pressure too low. Since it was at least partially working, we tried tweaking the dose for a few months. Eventually I got fed up with the side effects, called the doctor, and we moved on to another medication.

Because this is an athletically-inclined forum, I want to note that one of my side effects was that when I tried to exercise, as soon as I got warmed up, I would black out and/or feel my heart start to race. I would advise you to ride or do other exercise with a buddy or in an environment like a gym, where there are people nearby, until you know how you will react to this medication. Fainting on a bike in traffic or out in the middle of nowhere would suck. (I'm not a medical professional, etc. and hopefully you won't have this problem anyway!)

Good luck! I know how frustrating medication trial-and-error is. I really hope that you find something that works for you.

[malaholic]

I have no experience to offer here, but you might try looking up people's ratings and comments (and add your own) at www.askapatient.com. Seems like most medication reviews are mixed - any particular drug can work great for one person and not at all for someone else - but you can at least get an idea of the best and worst effects people have experienced.

[bmccasland]

I'm currently on topomax to control my migraines, but I'm really hoping that moving to a less stressful job will also help. When I first started taking it I had numbness and tingling in my extremities, and difficulty concentrating. I still have trouble with the concentrating thing - have been known to fall asleep in meetings. We've also found that I can't tolerate the dose I'm supposed to take, so I do a 3/4 thing (25 mg on day, 50 mg the next), as on 50 mg/day I'm a zombie. I actually understand why people refuse to take their meds. I have no idea how an epileptic on a higher dose copes.

I can say that my migraines aren't nearly as terrible. If I take my Maxalt when I have them, I can get through the day, instead of being miserable pile of mush for a day, then another day just to recover.

Good luck, and your mileage may vary

OK - re-reading your original post - you asked about verapamil. I've had that one too. My neurologist in California had me on it. It seemed to work, but I think my migraines are less terrible on topomax than when I was on verapamil.

[colorisnt]

Thanks for the replies.

I am on a very low dose of verapamil, but haven't had any issues on my bike. I do great, actually and put in 30 miles today. Didn't feel bad at all.

The TMJ/parafunction stuff has not been evaluated. Who would do a test and how? Would I have to go to a sleep lab? If so, I can't imagine I would be a good candidate. Can't picture myself sleeping there.