Taking Verapamil With Other Medicines And Herbal Supplements

Cautions with other medicines

Some medicines can affect the way verapamil works.

Taking verapamil with other medicines that lower your blood pressure can sometimes lower it too much. This may make you feel dizzy or faint. Tell your doctor if this happens to you, as they may need to change your dose.

Tell your doctor before starting verapamil if you're taking any other medicines, including:

• antibiotics, such as clarithromycin, erythromycin or rifampicin
• antifungal medicines, such as itraconazole
• digoxin or ivabradine, medicines used for heart failure
• flecainide or quinidine, medicines used to treat arrhythmias
• dabigatran, a medicine to prevent blood clots
• darunavir or ritonavir, medicines that treat HIV or hepatitis C
• epilepsy medicines like carbamazepine or phenytoin
• medicines that suppress your immune system, such as cyclosporin or tacrolimus
• statins (medicine used to lower cholesterol) such as simvastatin or atorvastatin
• colchicine, a medicine used to treat gout

These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take them with verapamil. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Taking verapamil with painkillers

Paracetamol is the best painkiller to take while you're taking verapamil. If paracetamol does not work, try ibuprofen.

Talk to your doctor if you need to take painkillers more than a few times a week.

Mixing verapamil with herbal remedies and supplements

St John's wort (a herbal remedy for depression) can affect the way verapamil works.

Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before taking St John's wort.

It's a good idea not to take any supplements with grapefruit in. Grapefruit can make side effects worse.

There's not enough information to say that other complementary medicines and herbal remedies are safe to take with verapamil. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements.

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