Emily
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Posts: 148
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Post by Emily on May 7, 2013 11:41:26 GMT -5
My gyno has suggested a drug called nifedipine to help treat pain and I was wondering if anyone out there had tried it. I did a search of the boards and it didn't yield any results.
From the little bit she told me via email and the research I've done, it's a calcium antagonist that is primarily used to treat hypertension and chest pain related to heart conditions. My gyno said that it is often given to women with high blood pressure during pregnancy. She said that I would only take it on my worst days and that it should not cause dangerously low blood pressure in someone who has normal blood pressure.
I've found a few articles on it in PubMed and it looks like it is well tolerated in most women, but increases head aches, which I have frequently.
Just seeing if anyone else has tried this or knows any more about it!
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Post by omaklackey on May 7, 2013 11:46:12 GMT -5
Nifedipine is blood pressure med. Why does she think it will work on pain?
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Emily
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Posts: 148
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Post by Emily on May 7, 2013 12:27:06 GMT -5
She didn't give me a reason why it would work. It seems to work in the trials I found though. However, It does look like it is for traditional period pain, not chronic pain. It is only taken on the "peak pain days".
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Post by nibletz on May 8, 2013 9:33:26 GMT -5
hi Emily
i think maybe more research needs to be done it regarding endo pain not period pains as endo is more heightened and not just in your womb/uterus if you do decide to try it i hope it works out xxx
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Emily
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Posts: 148
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Post by Emily on May 8, 2013 11:48:01 GMT -5
Any time I get my blood pressure checked, it's borderline low, and my peak pain days are probably 15-20 days out of the month, so I'm not sure I'd be wanting to take a blood pressure medication.
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Post by omaklackey on May 8, 2013 12:10:47 GMT -5
what is borderline low? And have you checked it days that you get really bad pain because pain can elevate BP, although its less typical for that elevation in someone who has chronic pain? Nifedipine is taken sometimes for premature labor because it has calming affects on the uterus. If you do decide to take this medication you will need to learn to take your BP. Especially if you sometimes have low BP. You need to ask your doctor what their parameters are for NOT taking it: Say a BP less than 100/60 or whatever your doctor's numbers are. I am very curious about this. Let us know what your decision is?
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Emily
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Posts: 148
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Post by Emily on May 8, 2013 13:09:19 GMT -5
I think the last time I had it taken, it was 100/70, that was about a week ago. My mom is a nurse (almost finished with her NP!) so I'm sure she can teach me. My blood pressure was 90/60 before my lap, I was worried they wouldn't do it! But, I'm 24 and otherwise healthy. Thanks for the suggestions on questions to ask, my next appointment is June 4, so I'll let you all know!
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Post by Karen on May 8, 2013 17:13:25 GMT -5
If it's a drug to lower calcium and in turn, lower bp and relax the uterus, why not ask your doctor if taking magnesium is similar? Calcuim and magnesium work best together in the correct ratio, and many people are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium can help the muscles relax, lower bp, etc., but since it's a supplement, the doses can be easily adjusted. I'm not telling you what to do or to go against your doc, but it's worth having a discussion.
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Emily
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Posts: 148
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Post by Emily on May 8, 2013 17:44:04 GMT -5
I actually recently started taking a compound calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement. It's listed at 333mg calcium, 133mg magnesium, and 5mg zinc. She had suggested magnesium at my last appointment, and I already took calcium and zinc, so I guess I'll see how this combo works for me.
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