Procardia as bad as Verapamil?

[dreadwaste]

I'm new here, so let me start by saying that this site is AMAZING, and I can't believe I didn't join up sooner. *kicks self in ass repeatedly* However, I'll leave the introductions for later, because I have a question:

My husband suffers from episodic clusters and the beast has been visiting him at least once a day for a least two weeks, maybe longer (more on that later). Two years ago, he was put on verapamil, and to say that it was awful is an understatement. He said that he felt like he was dying, like his brain was being starved of oxygen. Now we have a new doctor, and we just stopped a trial of atenolol and Pamelor because it wasn't doing a damn thing. Yesterday, we attempted a "factory reset 😜" (what you guys call "busting") with shrooms, and 4 hours later, he got hit again. It was thankfully short, but he thinks it was because he hit his O2 at 15/L just in time. Here's the thing: he's supposed to start taking Procardia today, and I'm worried that since it's also a channel blocker, that he's going to feel like he's dying again, just like the verapamil did. So... Anyone out there who has tried both verapamil and Procardia? How do heir side effects compare?

Any help is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

[CHfather]

Welcome, d'w.  I can't directly answer your question.  I assume that because calcium channel blockers often are effective preventives for CH, your doctor wanted to try a different one to see whether your husband could get the benefits without the side effects. I know that a lot of people used Procardia back in the "old days" (~10 years ago), often with good results, but somehow Verapamil has seemed to become to ccb of choice.  Point is that it's possible that it can work for him, and therefore might be worth trying with a close eye on the side effects (which should always be true with ccbs in any event).

 

That he got hit after busting isn't a sign of whether the busting was effective or not.  Takes a few doses to be effective, and among other things it's not clear whether anything he had been taking until recently might have interfered with the bust. For example, I think Pamelor is a tricyclic (?), and it's believed that they might interfere (if he'd still been taking it within about 5 days of the bust).

 

In any event, it looks like you will tell us more soon, which is great.

[Dallas Denny]

Welcome to the community d'w and thanks for being a supporter!

Wishing ya'll much success and pf time!

Dallas Denny