Posted by dove on May 4, 2002, at 13:59:21
In reply to Dove- Verapamil? » dove, posted by Cindylou on May 3, 2002, at 17:03:28
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> I am also very intrigued by this Verapamil, and actually faxed your message to my pdoc.
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> I was wondering if it had any side effects for you -- did it make you fatigued? Are you able to tolerate other mood stabilizers like Lithium without fatigue? I think my pdoc said that Verapamil is mainly for Bipolar I (I'm BPII), and that it just works for people who respond to Lithium (I wasn't able to tolerate Lithium due to the fatigue.)
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Firstly, I must say that I have never received such positive responses to my Verapamil postings. I thank you for the time you've spent reading my posts and am speechless regarding the fact that you faxed my message to your p-doc! Not in a negative way, just the thought of a p-doc reading my ramblings seems too surreal, comedic and bizarre--all at the same time =o)Secondly, my p-docs (more than one) have never felt I would do well--at all--on Lithium, and even when I've inquired about giving it a short trial they all responded with definite "No way!". Which is weird, considering all the other meds they've been willing to experiment with and in such crazy combinations too!
Unfortunately, I don't recall the actual word-for-word (quote unquote) reasoning behind this decision other than the fact that they believed that my *very* negative experience with Tegretol was not promising for a positive response to Lithium.
Thirdly, I would need a full wash-out (in my p-doc's opinion) of all the other meds I was taking at the time in order to initiate the lithium.
Fourthly, they still disagreed on the dx of BPI, due to the fact that they could not pinpoint even one full-fledged manic episode. ADHD and Major Depressive Disorder (long-term on both accounts) seemed more likely and more pressing in their immediate deteriorative effects on my life. At one point, they thought that I could possibly have Ultra Rapid Cycling BP I or II or ? with the manic part being more of an agitated, frustrated, angry and animated mania.
As in, I felt no euphoria, no elation, just discontentment fueled by a little more than my usual amount brain energy. Furthermore, these episodes didn't persist longer than 24 hours, and usually lasted only part of the day.
Verapamil did cause some fatigue--if I remember correctly, and I'm really trying to--in the beginning. It can also slow down the digestive system, cause dry mouth, constipation, a need to watch how much fluid you're losing during the warmer months of the year or when working out.
Verapamil enabled me *to* exercise, and I doubled (at least doubled) my water and fluid intake, and I had the clarity of mind to start slow and find how hard my body could work and still feel good--feel better than good.
So, I was able to counteract many of the reported negative side-effects that sometimes accompany Verapamil. The only other "mood-stabilizers" I've been able to tolerate are klonopin and Neurontin, although, neither of those are the first-choice standards for their mood-stabilizing abilities (according to my p-docs).
I hope this isn't too much rambling, just trying to be very clear about my experiences.
dove
poster:dove
thread:13717
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020503/msgs/105055.html