Side Effects Of Verapamil

Like all medicines, verapamil can cause side effects, but not everyone gets them.

Side effects often get better as your body gets used to the medicine.

Common side effects of verapamil

There are things you can do to help cope with the side effects of verapamil:

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects can happen while taking verapamil.

Call your doctor or call 111 straight away if:

• the whites of your eyes or your skin turn yellow, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin, or you have dark pee - these can be signs of liver problems
• you have swelling in your hands, feet, ankles or legs

If you get chest pain and you've already been diagnosed with angina, follow the instructions you've been given for treating your angina.

1. Stop what you're doing and rest.
2. Use any medicine you've been prescribed - this is usually glyceryl trinitrate (GTN).
3. Take another dose after 5 minutes if the first dose does not help.
4. If you still have symptoms 5 minutes after taking the 2nd dose, call 999 for an ambulance.

Call 999 now if:

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to verapamil.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of verapamil. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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