home > drugs a-z list > calan (verapamil hcl) drug center > calan (verapamil hcl) drug - patient avoid while taking

In this Article

• What is verapamil (Calan)?
• What are the possible side effects of verapamil?
• What is the most important information I should know about verapamil?
• What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking verapamil?
• How should I take verapamil?
• What happens if I miss a dose?
• What happens if I overdose?
• What should I avoid while taking verapamil?
• What other drugs will affect verapamil?
• Where can I get more information?

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to take the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include slow heartbeat and fainting.

What should I avoid while taking verapamil?

Verapamil can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid getting up too fast from a sitting or lying position, or you may feel dizzy. Get up slowly and steady yourself to prevent a fall.

Avoid drinking alcohol while taking verapamil.

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice may interact with verapamil and lead to potentially dangerous effects. Discuss the use of grapefruit products with your doctor. Do not increase or decrease the amount of grapefruit products in your diet without first talking to your doctor.

What other drugs will affect verapamil?

Before taking verapamil, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• any other blood pressure medications;
• buspirone (BuSpar);
• carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol);
• cimetidine (Tagamet, Tagamet HB);
• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
• digoxin (digitalis, Lanoxin, Lanoxicaps);
• lithium (Eskalith, LithoBid);
• lovastatin (Mevacor);
• phenobarbital (Solfoton);
• rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, Rifater);
• theophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, Uniphyl);
• a sedative such as midazolam (Versed) or triazolam (Halcion);
• an antibiotic such as clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin, E.E.S., Ery-Tab, Erythrocin), or telithromycin (Ketek);
• an antifungal medication such as fluconazole (Diflucan), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or voriconazole (Vfend);
• a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), bisoprolol (Zebeta, Ziac), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), timolol (Blocadren), and others;
• a heart rhythm medication such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), disopyramide (Norpace), flecainide (Tambocor), or quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinidex, Quin-Release); or
• HIV/AIDS medicine such as atazanavir (Reyataz), delavirdine (Rescriptor), fosamprenavir (Lexiva), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept), or ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with verapamil. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about verapamil.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children. Never share your medicines with others and only use this medication for the condition prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2010 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 9.04. Revision date: 08/12/2009.

Your use of the content provided in this service indicates that you have read,understood and agree to the End-User License Agreement,which can be accessed by clicking on this link.