Verapamil and weight gain
Verapamil. Verakard. Lekoptin.
Buy Verapamil belongs to the family of drugs called calcium channel blockers. They are used mainly for the treatment of angina, coronary artery disease, as well as to reduce high blood pressure and arrhythmia management. With the help of calcium channel blockers can control (not treated), essential hypertension. These drugs can help to improve the well-being, thus enabling the patient to perform physical exercise and delay the need for heart surgery.
In 1995, the Public Sitizen’s Health Research Group asked the FDA to demand inclusion in the annotation of calcium channel blockers prevent a possible increase in risk of heart attack with subsequent death. Our claim was based on the findings of three large-scale studies.
This requirement was one of the reasons for entering in February 1996, major changes in the annotation to one of the calcium channel blockers, fast-acting form of nifedipine. Now abstract warn doctors about the inadmissibility of the use of this drug for the treatment of hypertension.
Since the filing of this requirement have been identified other side effects of calcium channel blockers, such as an increased risk of bleeding in the digestive tract in elderly people.
According to the results of some studies, calcium channel blockers increase the risk of diseases of various forms of cancer, including breast cancer in women after menopause. However, another study found no correlation between increased risk of cancer and the use of calcium channel blockers.
Despite the way the 1995 recommendations of the National Institute of Heart, Lung, and Blood, by which to treat the disease gipertonchieskoy light and medium should be primarily used diuretics and beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers are still the most common in the United States for the treatment of high blood pressure.
Each of the products of the family of calcium channel blockers has a different set of side effects. Verapamil more other drugs of this family contributes to constipation. It is also increasingly causing slowing of heart rate and slowing of conduction than other calcium channel blockers, but to a lesser extent, contributes to the emergence of dizziness, flushing, headache, and edema of the legs and feet.
Compared with other calcium channel blockers verapamil causes more frequently in patients with heart failure. Older people are most prone to side effects from the use of this drug. Older people suffering from diseases of the liver or heart is recommended to start with a dose of 40 mg verapamil 3 times a day. Patients with reduced kidney function should avoid the use of prolonged forms of verapamil, and may consider lowering the dosage. Sometimes this drug is used in combination with other drugs used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
If you have hypertension, the best way to get rid of the need for medication are measures such as changes in diet, weight loss, regular exercise and reducing salt intake and alcohol. Small increase in pressure can be controlled with proper diet and exercise. If these measures do not lead to adequate reduction of pressure and you need medication, you should select hydrochlorothiazide diuretic drug, and start with a small dose – 12.5 mg / day. The benefits of this drug is also the fact that it is cheaper than all other antihypertensive drugs.
There is compelling evidence that thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide, significantly decrease the rate of leaching of minerals from the bone for men and women alike, because they reduce the amount of calcium eliminated with urine. A growing number of researchers also tend to believe that these drugs reduce the risk of fractures.
If this drug does not lower your blood pressure to the desired level, your doctor may appoint one of the beta-blockers for the reception, along with hydrochlorothiazide. If you can not take beta-blockers for one reason or another, it can be used instead of a single calcium channel blockers.
Which antihypertensive drugs you would not take as soon as your blood pressure to normal, and will remain so for a year or more, should try to reduce the dosage carefully and pay attention to non-medicated treatments, in accordance with the recommendations of The Medical Letter.
In an editorial in the British Medical Journal says: “Treatment of hypertension is the prerogative of Preventive Medicine, and as in the case of any preventive strategy, the dynamics of treatment should be regularly monitored by their physician. Many problems can be avoided, if not to start drug therapy of hypertension to a thorough examination of the patient. Patients should no longer be said that the treatment of hypertension should continue throughout life, the possibility of dose reduction or complete abolition of antihypertensive drugs should be said from the beginning ”
Calcium channel blockers too often prescribed to patients in the postinfarction period
The study found that calcium channel blockers too often used to treat patients who have had heart attacks, while the preparations of beta-blockers are used too rarely. Found that none of the preparations of calcium channel blockers does not provide any significant improvement of patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases. FDA confirmed that some drugs from the group of beta-blockers reduce the risk of death in patients who have survived heart attacks
This study analyzed the results of the use of calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers on the example of 500 patients admitted for treatment in hospital. When you receive all 500 patients had diagnostic tests of the heart. Of these 500 patients 202 (40%) had a heart attack only 17 (8%) of them were receiving medication to a family of beta-blockers, whereas 74 (37%) were receiving medication of calcium channel blockers.
FDA confirmed that the below listed products from the family of beta-blockers reduce the risk of death in patients who have survived heart attacks: atenolol, metoprolol, and timolol propranol.
In some cases, to take verapamil not only risky, but the probability is high that he will have no effect.
Do not take this medication if you have seen or experienced before: severe hypotension, cardiogenic shock, heart attack, a slow heart beat (bradycardia), atrioventricular block in the absence of the driver’s heart, tachycardia, associated with the presence of syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White, heart failure, sick sinus syndrome.
Inform your doctor you have seen (or seen before): allergy to medications, stenosis of the aortic valve, diabetes, heart disease, liver and kidneys, low blood pressure, muscular dystrophy, myasthenia gravis.
Tell your doctor what medications you are taking, including aspirin, herbs, vitamins and other prescription drugs.
If you are currently taking a beta-blocker, then before you start taking calcium channel blockers, you should, under the guidance of a doctor, at first gradually stop taking beta-blockers.
Learn how to measure your pulse, and immediately call emergency medical assistance, if your pulse drops to 50 beats per minute or less, even if you feel fine feel.
Until you find out how you react to this drug do not sit behind the wheel, and do not engage in other activities that require attention.
Follow the diet suggested by your doctor
Ask your doctor to send you a set of exercises that will meet your physical condition.
Can not suddenly stop taking calcium channel blockers. Your doctor should draw up a timetable, under which you will gradually reduce the dose.
This drug may cause dizziness when lifting from a sitting or lying position. While climbing out of bed, you must first swinging his legs and stay in this position a few minutes and then gently rise. At rise from a chair, you should get up slowly and some time to stand beside the chair until you are sure that you are not dizzy.
If you have to surgery, including dental treatment, inform the doctor that you are taking this medication.
Do not take any other medications without first talking to your doctor, especially non-prescription drugs used in the treatment of asthma, colds, coughs, hay fever, sinusitis.
Swallow tablets whole or in part. You should not crumble, split or chew the capsules or tablets.
Take prolonged forms of the drug with milk or food.
If you miss a dose, you should take it as soon as you remember it, but if in the near future should take the next dose, skip the reception. Do not take a double dose.
Do not store medicine in the bathroom. Do not expose to high temperatures, moisture or direct sunlight.
Alcohol, vecuronium bromide, Dantrolene, digoxin and calcium gluconate, carbamazepine, lithium, propranolol, rifampin, theophylline, phenytoin, quinidine, cimetidine, cyclosporine, ergocalciferol cause “clinically vysokoznachitelnye” or “clinically significant” interactions when used in conjunction with the drug. Some other drugs, especially those relating to the same groups as listed below, in conjunction with the described medication can cause serious side effects. With the increase in the number of new drugs, recommended for sale, and increases the risk of adverse interactions with the joint application, which is often identified with the old drugs. Be vigilant. Be sure to tell your doctor about all medications you are taking, and pay special attention to the doctor if you are taking any of the drugs that interact with the considered drug.
After discontinuation of verapamil may be necessary to adjust doses of drugs interacting with them.
Immediately call a doctor if you have observed: bleeding, painful or swollen neck glands, difficulty breathing, chest pain, cramps, twitching of extremities, fever, severe headache, cardiac arrhythmia, low blood pressure, rash, swelling of the legs or feet, abnormal allocation milk.
Call a doctor if you have the time, for a sufficiently long period of time, observed: abdominal pain, constipation, blood flow to the person a feeling of warmth, headache, nausea, unusual fatigue or weakness, colorful and restless dreams, physical fatigue, heartburn, impotence, pain or weakness in muscles, nausea, frequent urination, blurred vision, blurred vision.
Ask your doctor if any of the following examinations, you should periodically take place during the reception of the drug: blood pressure measurement, electrocardiogram (ECG), renal function tests, liver function tests, measurement of the pulse.
During pregnancy, the drug should be used only when absolutely necessary. Before taking this drug should inform their physician if you are pregnant or if you suspect that you are pregnant.
