Verapamil

1 What is Verapamil?

Brand: Verapamil

Generic: Verapamil

Verapamil is used to control rapid heartbeats or abnormal heart rhythms. It belongs to a group of drugs called calcium channel blocking agents.

Verapamil affects the movement of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels.

As a result, the heart beats slower and the blood vessels relax, thus, increasing the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing its workload .

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. This product is available in the solution dosage form.

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2 What to Know Before Using

Before using Verapamil, you must know all about the risks and complications associated with it. This is a decision you and your doctor will make.

For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric Population: Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of verapamil in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established .

Geriatric Population: No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of verapamil in geriatric patients. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney or liver problems, which may require an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving verapamil .

Pregnancy: All Trimesters: Category C: Animal studies have shown an adverse effect and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women OR no animal studies have been conducted and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women.

Breastfeeding: Studies in women suggest that this medication poses minimal risk to the infant when used during breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions: Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose or other precautions may be necessary.

When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Colchicine
  • Dofetilide
  • Flibanserin
  • Lomitapide

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Acebutolol
  • Adenosine
  • Afatinib
  • Alprenolol
  • Amiodarone
  • Apixaban
  • Aprepitant
  • Atazanavir
  • Atenolol
  • Atorvastatin
  • Betaxolol
  • Bevantolol
  • Bisoprolol
  • Bosutinib
  • Brexpiprazole
  • Bucindolol
  • Bupivacaine
  • Bupivacaine Liposome
  • Carbamazepine
  • Carteolol
  • Carvedilol
  • Celiprolol
  • Ceritinib
  • Cilostazol
  • Clarithromycin
  • Clonidine
  • Clopidogrel
  • Clozapine
  • Cobimetinib
  • Crizotinib
  • Cyclobenzaprine
  • Dabigatran Etexilate
  • Dabrafenib
  • Dantrolene
  • Digoxin
  • Dilevalol
  • Domperidone
  • Donepezil
  • Doxorubicin
  • Doxorubicin Hydrochloride Liposome
  • Dronedarone
  • Eliglustat
  • Eplerenone
  • Erlotinib
  • Erythromycin
  • Esmolol
  • Everolimus
  • Fentanyl
  • Fingolimod
  • Hydrocodone
  • Ibrutinib
  • Idelalisib
  • Ifosfamide
  • Ivabradine
  • Ivacaftor
  • Ketoconazole
  • Labetalol
  • Lacosamide
  • Levobunolol
  • Lovastatin
  • Lurasidone
  • Mepindolol
  • Mepivacaine
  • Metipranolol
  • Metoprolol
  • Morphine
  • Morphine Sulfate Liposome
  • Nadolol
  • Naloxegol
  • Nebivolol
  • Nilotinib
  • Nintedanib
  • Olaparib
  • Oxprenolol
  • Penbutolol
  • Pindolol
  • Piperaquine
  • Pixantrone
  • Propranolol
  • Ranolazine
  • Simeprevir
  • Simvastatin
  • Sonidegib
  • Sotalol
  • Tacrolimus
  • Talinolol
  • Tertatolol
  • Timolol
  • Tizanidine
  • Tolvaptan
  • Topotecan
  • Vincristine
  • Vincristine Sulfate Liposome

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Buspirone
  • Cyclosporine
  • Dalfopristin
  • Digitoxin
  • Dutasteride
  • Flecainide
  • Fosphenytoin
  • Indinavir
  • Lithium
  • Midazolam
  • Nevirapine
  • Oxcarbazepine
  • Pancuronium
  • Phenobarbital
  • Phenytoin
  • Quinidine
  • Quinupristin
  • Ritonavir
  • Sirolimus
  • St John's Wort
  • Tedisamil
  • Telithromycin
  • Tubocurarine
  • Vecuronium

Other Interactions: Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

  • Tobacco

Using this medicine with any of the following may cause an increased risk of certain side effects but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

  • Ethanol

Other Medical Problems: The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine.

Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

The effects of this medicine may be increased because of slower removal from the body.

3 Proper Usage

Proper usage of Verapamil requires strict adherence to your doctor’s orders. A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. This medicine is given through a needle placed into one of your veins.

4 Precautions to Take

In using Verapamil, you must be careful and take some precautions as advised by your doctor.

Your doctor will only give you a few doses of this medicine until your condition improves, and then you will be switched to an oral medicine that works the same way.

If you have any concerns about this, talk to your doctor.

5 Potential Side Effects

As with many medications, there are several potential side effects associated with Verapamil. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Less common:

Rare:

  • cough
  • difficulty breathing
  • noisy breathing
  • tightness in the chest
  • wheezing

Incidence not known:

  • convulsions
  • loss of bladder control
  • muscle spasm or jerking of all extremities
  • sudden loss of consciousness

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Less common:

  • headache

Rare:

  • hives or welts
  • itching
  • nausea
  • redness of the skin
  • skin rash
  • stomach soreness or discomfort

Incidence not known:

  • discouragement
  • the feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings
  • feeling sad or empty
  • increased sweating
  • irritability
  • lack of appetite
  • loss of interest or pleasure
  • the sensation of spinning
  • sleepiness
  • tiredness
  • trouble concentrating
  • trouble sleeping
  • uncontrolled eye movements

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

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