Migraine Headaches Support Group

thats crazy! I have been taking verapramil for 5 years now! I have horribly high BP- so verapramil controls that. the reason they chose that med is hoping that it may also help the migraines. which is did not- however i have never ever had one single side effect.
It works for the BP- does nothing for the migraine- Wow, sorry you got so freaked out!
The mind will play trick if you let it, particularly with side effects- just get your bp checked like they told you to. don't read any of that side effect stuff, it will make you crazy:)
good luck-
Jill

Well, verapamil though powerful stuff, is basically a vascular dilator. You mention "last resort" but I can think of a lot of medications used more for migraine than a "simple" dilator. BUT I AM NO DOCTOR!! My opinion means virtually NOTHING. I am just surprised you had little or no success with other meds.

I am curious as to what kind of surgery this neuro has in mind.

Please go to this website for some good info on verapamil,.. how to take it, how to get off it, and what to avoid when on it. There are a coupld of simple things you do NOT want to do if taking verapamil.

http://www.drugs.com/MTM/verapamil...

Hi Jacee,

I have also had chronic daily migraine for years, 10 to be exact, so i feel your pain. I am confused by verapamil as a last resort...in my experience (just personal) it was something i tried early on and didn't really help.

Additionally, i am also interested in the surgery your doctor discussed with you. While i would love to find a surgery that would make the pain go away, it seems a little drastic to say that this med is your last result and without it surgery is the only option. I took a look at your list of meds and treatments and there are a lot that I can think of that seems unexplored.

Btw, when i was on verapramil. I had lots of problems with low bp, because i also usually run low, so i would definitely be vigilant about that.

Thanks,
Emma

Check out what the old generic name of this med was. If it was protriptaline be careful!!!! And rad the post on protiptaline that worst side effect ever that I posted. They don't make the generic version of it anymore. And if it is thae same med my neur put me on the side effect can be horriable!! Ask your doctor about the side effect and if he isn't whilling to tell you look it up for you self. It was my last resort to and it screwed up my life. So please check it out before you even start taking it. I know I am no doctor and every one reacts differantly to the meds. But check it out first.

hey all thank you for all the information. I have done alot of thinking on this med.. and to be truthful it scares me. I already have lower blood pressure... so if this med makes it go lower i could be in trouble.

I do how ever have an appointment with a new neuro this Thursday so I will not take the meds til I meet with them

I agree with you all on the fact that there is ALOT of meds out there that Ihave not tried.. I will not do the surgery.. Its that nerve stimulator surgery... I have already met with the surgen and even he says I have alot more meds to try B4 he would even consider me as a canidate for the surgery

I truly beleive that this stupid neuro that I am seeing has just plain old given up on me.. and that is why I have seeked out a new one.

Again TY all for the information on your experiences.. I appriciate it

Jacee

Yeah, .. I was not impressed with that neuro's course of treatment. I am glad you have talked it over and have decided to "drop" that first one.

I took Verapamil over a year ago. I was getting very frequent "regular" headaches and several migraines a month and this med dropped the number down drastically. I still got the odd headache which went away completely with 400mg of advil. I still got my monthly premenstral headache which was absolutely brutal... but that was it.
The only side effect I noticed was that I could not tolerate the smallest amount of alcohol. I found this out one Thanksgiving dinner where after two sips of white wine I totally spaced out. I was unable to think properly and yeah, I was totally content with just staring at a wall. Not the best situation for a big thanksgiving meal!

Verapamil was a last resort solution for me as well and I was surprised that it actually seemed to work. That was not the only med. change made so I can't blame it all on the Verapamil but I feel certain it has made a huge difference. Since starting it, I've gone to maybe 1 migraine a week usually instead of 3 or 4.

BTW, I haven't noticed any side effects whatsoever. I expected dizziness but that actually got better. Anything is worth a try when you have chronic migraines. You should know quickly if it's working. It was 2 days for me.