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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jodsteroo on June 7, 2001, at 20:05:53
has anyone tried verapimil or any of the other calcium channel blockers for rapid cycling or bipolar?if so... what were the side effects? weight gain? fatigue?? any help would be greatly appreciated!! thanks...jodi...
Posted by SalArmy4me on June 7, 2001, at 21:00:51
In reply to VERAPAMIL?? calcium channel blocker for bp?, posted by jodsteroo on June 7, 2001, at 20:05:53
Verapamil antimanic dosages range from 160 to 480 mg/d. The median dose is 320 mg/d. Verapamil can be started at 80 mg bid or tid and the dose increased daily or every other day to a dose of 320 mg/d. Nonresponse after two weeks should lead to dose increase to 480 mg/d, administered in a tid schedule. Doses >480 mg/d have not been investigated.
*In mania the onset of action varies from seven to fourteen days. A therapeutic trial is three weeks.
*Verapamil is considered a fourth-line treatment for mania because until more patients are studied to determine its relative efficacy compared to other treatments.
Posted by AMenz on June 8, 2001, at 0:51:03
In reply to VERAPAMIL?? calcium channel blocker for bp?, posted by jodsteroo on June 7, 2001, at 20:05:53
Yes it was useless. All I can tell you is I was stable for 10 years on 300mg Li, 450 carbamepazine and 20 mg Parnate. I became mildly depressed because of biz problems and my then doctor ripped all these meds out put me on topomax. To make a long story shore at the end of two years after having tried lamotrigine Igave me a rash) neurontin (made me almost psychotic-don't know why)a nationally recognized psychopharmacologist tried verapamil Zilch.
I finally went back on lithium on my own. It improved matters tremendously. Depakote is supposed to be better for rapid cyclers. All antidepressant seem to make rapid cyclers, cycle more, although I have had some success by reducing Zoloft dosage to a very small amount.
I believe calcium channel blockers have a similar action to lithium which blocks someother mineral channel (I believe potassium). I think Verapamil is way out there.
> has anyone tried verapimil or any of the other calcium channel blockers for rapid cycling or bipolar?if so... what were the side effects? weight gain? fatigue?? any help would be greatly appreciated!! thanks...jodi...
Posted by Elizabeth on June 8, 2001, at 19:38:31
In reply to Re: VERAPAMIL?? calcium channel blocker for bp?, posted by AMenz on June 8, 2001, at 0:51:03
> I believe calcium channel blockers have a similar action to lithium which blocks someother mineral channel (I believe potassium).
Sodium (they're called ion gated channels). Lithium has a number of different effects, primary and secondary.
-elizabeth
Posted by Elizabeth on June 8, 2001, at 19:39:32
In reply to VERAPAMIL?? calcium channel blocker for bp?, posted by jodsteroo on June 7, 2001, at 20:05:53
> has anyone tried verapimil or any of the other calcium channel blockers for rapid cycling or bipolar?if so... what were the side effects? weight gain? fatigue?? any help would be greatly appreciated!! thanks...jodi...
Never tried them for BP, but I have taken nifedipine for blood pressure emergencies. The side effects included tachycardia (a "pounding" feeling, like my heart was going to jump out of my chest) and dry mouth. It's important to make sure you get enough fluids when you're on these drugs. Also, like many antihypertensives, calcium channel blockers can contribute to depression and sexual dysfunction. You may also experience excessively low blood pressure, which can manifest as dizziness or fainting spells.
Calcium channel blockers are mainly for bipolar disorder that hasn't responded to typical treatments (lithium, various anticonvulsants, etc.).
-elizabeth
Posted by dove on June 12, 2001, at 13:04:21
In reply to VERAPAMIL?? calcium channel blocker for bp?, posted by jodsteroo on June 7, 2001, at 20:05:53
>
> has anyone tried verapimil or any of the other calcium channel blockers for rapid cycling or bipolar?if so... what were the side effects? weight gain? fatigue?? any help would be greatly appreciated!! thanks...jodi...
>Verapamil changed my life, literally! I've had 'emotional problems' all my life, and I didn't figure out that these 'personality defects' were something more until I was prescribed Verapamil for relief from my life-long migraines. Actually, when I discovered this new beautiful world I was speechless and stunned. I tried telling my Internal Med Dr what was happening, but he wrote it off as merely the freedom from my migraines. I *knew* there was something else under that generalized blanket answer.
So, for the first time, I really started to dig for info on mental illnesses. I was dumbfounded to find thousands of people struggling with the same symptoms that I had fought against all of my life. It was at this junction that I stumbled across P-babble, and I have never found a better place to share, learn, critique, and find support.Now, onto diagnoses and Verapamil.... I have been dxed with multiple disorders (ADHD, Bipolar, Panic, GAD, Specific Phobias, OCD...) my doc's are still unsure which are the most prominent and/or dominant (They're guessing the ADHD and Bipolar). I was taken off the Verapamil by my Internal Medicine Doc due to the return of my headaches (only had a few that were nearly blinding), and a few side-effects (super-dry skin, dizzy spells brought on by very high temperatures and exercise, and weight gain.) and then initiated Amitriptyline in place of Verapamil.
I went into a huge nosedive at that point, very very depressed and unable to cope. I went back to the Doc and asked him for some Verapamil until the Amitriptyline kicked in, but he said that was not a good idea. Finally went in for a mental consult, was quickly dxed and assigned a Psych-doc, who immediately started me on Adderall with the Amitriptyline. I have gone through more drug cocktails than I can remember over the last couple years and have never regained that magical something that Verapamil gave me for that short period of time.
I would encourage anyone who is Bipolar (or even dealing with anxiety) to at least give it a try before writing it off. On the internet and even at P-babble, I have found that the majority of people who have tried Verapamil don't find it earth-shaking in any manner, but there are some of us with hard-to-treat bipolar and/or multiple disorders that it really did a job on (a good job that is!). I seem to remember it taking effect in a subtle manner--smooth--almost unnoticeable until I began starting the day with a smile rather than a frown. It didn't cause any memory problems for me either, which is something I really really hate!
I encourage you to just give it a go if your Doc recommends it, you never know, maybe this non-psychiatric med with no mind-numbing or weird discontinuation side-effects will do something for you! Best of luck to you!
dove
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