Hey Rob - Jay here. I have had direct dealings myself with a cacium channel blocker. I have aortic insufficiency (regurgtitation). I was originally diagnosed May of 2004. At the time my LVD was 5.0. I was asked by my cardio to come back in every three months, just as a percautionary measure. At my next 3 month checkup I was at 5.4. That was in September. The next in December was 5.6, and it was looking like I might be on the fast track to surgery with my cardio suggesting that we begin to discuss the possibility of surgery around 6.0. Mind you all of this time I was pretty much asymptomatic. At the time of my echo in December (5.6) my doc said that she had just gotten back from a seminar in Atlanta with one of the "top valve guys" in the country from California. She said that she thought of me directly in regards to a certain topic he was discussing. That topic was about a drug called Procardia (generically called Nefedical or Nefedipine). This is a calcium channel blocker which works as described in an above post, in lamentss terms it makes the workload on the heart decrease by blocking the calcium of the heart and by doing this may relieve a certain level of the regurgitation, etc.
My Cardio suggested that I begin to take Procardia and to see how I tolerated it. It is given in doses of 30,60,90, and the most being 120 mg. Side effects can be lightheadedness or swelling of the ankles ( among a list of a dozen almost never occuring side effects, just like any bottle of tylenol
) both of which occur very minimally. At least from my own experience, Procardia is a wonderful therapy that has helped me. A short bit of information, I started out on 30 mg for the first 30 days, then went to 60 mg for the next 30, and the last 30 before my echo I went to 90. the highest it is prescribed at is 120. That is the reason that I started out on the low end, to see if I could tolerate it. I have to date had NO side effects. In hindsight I wish I had started on a higher dose, but of course wouldnt feel that way unless the facts were that I have had no side effects. Went back for my most recent echo about 4 weeks ago (late Feb. 05') and my LVD had not only levelled off but had actually regressed back to 5.3. This could of been within the margin of error of course for echo's, but my feeling, as well as my cardio's, is that it was the therapy from the Procardia. Upon the results of my last echo, my doctor bumped me up to 120 mg, which I have been taking for a month now and still no side effects.
I had read one of the posts above where the woman had bad side effects from calcium channel blockers (the two she had mentioned I had never heard of). I would have to say from my own personal experience that I have had great results from my therapy with them. I would highly reccomomend ANYONE who is in the same situation as me to at the
very least contact their cardiologist about Procardia and if the doctor doesn't have all the details then demand they look into it for you. Hope this has helped.
Jay
