Verapamil: Uses And Side Effects

Verapamil is a drug that can be administered both orally and intravenously, depending on the needs of the patient. This medicine can be used to treat chest pain, high blood pressure and heart rhythm problems. Read more about the uses of verapamil and its side effects below.

What is verapamil?

Verapamil is a class IV antiarrhythmic drug. It is a more effective drug for controlling atrial fibrillation than digoxin, which is an excellent drug that increases the pumping power of the heart.

Although verapamil is widely considered a cardiac drug, it also has other uses. It can be used, for example, in the treatment of mania and the prevention of migraines.

This medicine is sold in different forms for different ailments. For example, physicians may prescribe slow-release tablets for exertional chest pain, while eye drops are useful in treating intraocular pressure and / or glaucoma.

What are arrhythmias?

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat, that is, the heart rate may fall or rise. This first arrhythmia is called bradycardia and the second tachycardia.

An arrhythmia can affect the formation of an electrical impulse in the heart. As a result, changes in cardiac conduction called circulatory activation can occur. These are one of the most common arrhythmias in the general population.

It is also noteworthy that arrhythmias are usually harmless. However, some of them can endanger the life of the patient, which is why it is very important to keep them under control.

There are four main arrhythmias:

1. Extra beats
2. Supraventricular arrhythmias
3. Ventricular arrhythmias
4. Bradyarrhythmias

What about exertional chest pain?

This disease, such as a heart attack (heart attack), is a type of ischemic heart disease. It comes from blockage and weakening of the arteries in the heart.

This condition is known as atherosclerosis and is caused by the accumulation of cholesterol plaque, lipids, and inflammatory cells in the walls of the arteries. As a result, the heart does not get enough blood to function properly.

Exertional chest pain gradually appears over time as a result of weakening of the arteries of the heart. This ailment can be classified in two different ways:

• Stable exertional chest pain : The pain occurs when moving and can radiate to other areas of the body.
• Unstable exertional chest pain : The pain occurs at rest and lasts longer than stable exertional chest pain.

How does verapamil work?

The efficacy of this drug in the aforementioned diseases is due to its ability to block voltage-gated calcium channels. It affects the transport of extracellular calcium through the cell membranes of the heart muscle. It does not affect plasma calcium levels.

Verapamil does this by attaching to slow calcium channels, modifying their structure. In this way, they cannot transfer calcium from plasma inside myocardial cells.

Verapamil also affects the release of intracellular calcium, which is stored in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, a type of cellular structure. As the amount of calcium inside the cell decreases, the heart muscle expands, which affects its contraction mechanism. The same goes for vascular smooth muscle tissue.

In this way, this process reduces the peripheral resistance and thus the afterload. These mechanisms explain the efficacy of verapamil in patients with exertional chest pain and hypertension.

Verapamil: side effects

The most serious side effects of verapamil are:

• Sinus bradycardia
• Reflex tachycardia
• Atrioventricular block of varying degrees; treatment with another medicine may be needed
• Low blood pressure

It is good to know that the side effects of verapamil are more common with intravenous medication than with oral medication. In addition to these serious side effects due to the vasodilatory effects of the medicine, the patient may also experience other side effects, such as:

• Dizziness
• Hot waves
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain

In addition, very rare cases of hypersensitivity reactions have been reported in some patients.

Summary

Verapamil is a medicine that is mainly useful in the treatment of exertional chest pain, high blood pressure and various types of arrhythmias.

However, it has quite dangerous side effects, so special care must be taken during medication. In addition, always follow your doctor’s recommendations and ask your doctor about any strange symptoms or suspicions.