Does anyone know anything about calcium channel blockers?

[lizabug]

Hey everyone,

I posted recently about my new meds but so far I haven't had any response. I thought that maybe it was because of the name of the meds so I am posting again hoping someone can help me out. My new blood pressure med is Sular and I know that it is a calcium channel blocker. I also know that your heart needs calcium in order to function and that this med slows the heart. From some of my research I have found some info that says these meds cause an increase in heart attacks for women. This has me concerned. I am trying to find out if anyone has taken anything like this and how it affected them (side effects etc...) . Please, can anyone help me here?

Thanks,
Liz
t

[Machaon]

Originally Posted by lizabug

Hey everyone,

I posted recently about my new meds but so far I haven't had any response. I thought that maybe it was because of the name of the meds so I am posting again hoping someone can help me out. My new blood pressure med is Sular and I know that it is a calcium channel blocker. I also know that your heart needs calcium in order to function and that this med slows the heart. From some of my research I have found some info that says these meds cause an increase in heart attacks for women. This has me concerned. I am trying to find out if anyone has taken anything like this and how it affected them (side effects etc...) . Please, can anyone help me here?

Thanks,
Liz
t

You are on Sular, which is an extended release form of the CCB. I have been on CCBs for over twenty years, but I have no experience with the extended form.

I get heart rhythm problems if I consume a food or drink, containing calcium, within 2.5 hours of taking my CCB. I also can't take it at night or I will have problems breathing and too slow of a heartrate. I am also on other meds, and I don't take any of my meds within 2.5 hours of taking my CCB. I also take Digoxin, for which I have similar problems. I don't know if my problems with my CCB is unique to the CCB, or because of an interaction between the Digoxin and the CCB.

For me, taking a CCB is a royal pain, and it took me a long time to figure out why I was having so many nasty rhythm problems, but finally I figured how to best take both the CCB and the Digoxin. I still take a CCB because it is my most effective blood pressure medicine.

Do you know anything about the rate of heart attacks for women taking a CCB? Did your research tell you if certain women are at a higher risk of heart attack while on a CCB?

There are women here on Healthboards who take CCBs. Perhaps, with some luck, one or more will chime in and relate their experiences with CCBs to you.

[pal7778]

I've taken a CCB (some form of diltiazem) for several years with no problems. There
are studies around which show an increased risk for heart attack and others which don't. It's hard to know, but if the medicine works really well in your case it's probably worth the risk. Lowering bp is very overrated as a way of fending off heart attacks, in any case.

[CASSIEBEL]

I've taken 5 different CCBs through the years. I had a serious side effect with Norvasc, Plendil, & Sular. I get good results with verapamil and diltiazem. The first 3 I mentioned caused a rapid pulse 140+. the other 2 slow my HR down a bit. I know that diltiazem and verapamil work differently than the rest of the CCBs but I'm not familiar with the difference.

I have heard that some CCBs pose a risk of heart attack in women. Being a woman I was naturally concerned too. But just lately we heard that ARBs can cause heart attacks. I imagine if you look hard enough you can find negative studies about almost any drug.

I take diltiazem because it controls my BP much better than any other medication and I like my chances with a normal BP as opposed to dangerously HBP on the other meds.

I've teken verapamil or diltiazem for the last 17 years with the exception of the last 2 years when I tried just about every other BP med on the market with no control. I'm back on diltiazem now and will remain on it as long as it controls my BP.

Cass

[rigel434]

The research about CCB increasing the risk for heart attack is pretty well established, and a lot of docs are hesitant to prescribe them for that reason. The cynic in me suspects that they wouldn't prescribe as many CCBs as they do but for the fact that a lot of the CCB drugs' patents haven't run out yet so there is more money for the pharmaceutical companies if the drug reps convince docs to prescribe CCBs instead of generic diuretics or ACE inhibitors.

But CCBs do reduce pressure and the ALLHAT study showed they provided good stroke protection. But the increased risk of heart attack is real.