Norpace question

[Laoshur]

Hi, all,

I saw Dr. Gilligan yesterday and besides doubling my two diuretics, he wants me to try Norpace. I have chest pain with exertion and/or stress. The pain was especially bad and long lasting on the way home from China this last time. He said that this is the last med we can try. So I am scheduled to go into the hospital this coming week to start it.

Last night my husband said that he hoped it would not have the same constipation problem as Verapamil did. So I checked some of the posts here about Norpace and find that this is a mentioned problem. Since I have repeated bouts of diverticulitis, I am not sure that Norpace is a good idea. Any insights?

I also do not like the other side effects regarding urination and dry mouth. I am also a little concerned about this drug increasing congestive heart failure rates given the fact that I have been up since 4 am because I could not breath lying down.

Any insights or advice?
Rhoda

[vmcmahon]

Hi Rhoda, For me - Norpace was not a nice drug. It had all the side effects you mentioned and honestly - i think it had a negative effect on me. I felt worse on it and I believe it caused my symptoms to deteriorate quicker than normal. It is the only drug that i can say i am glad to be off now.

However there are others on here that use it and feel great on it. So please don't go on my opinion alone...

hope you feel better

thanks

[Sarah]

You need to make your own call, but I didn't have any problems on Norpace except a tendancy to urinate more often and I was on it for ten years.

Verapamil was horrible for me and I went off it almost as soon as I was on it.

My brother had terrible dry mouth with Norpace but I hardly had any.

Good luck,

S

[Cynaburst]

Rhoda - I have been taking Norpace since February. It has worked great for me. My gradient has decreased markedly - from 85mm/hg to under 20. My mitral regurg. has gone from severe to trivial, and I feel so so much better.

The chest pain that I experience has gone from being a daily event to more like once every month or two. My rings are always loose now, which leads me to believe that I was in heart failure before, and my fingers were swelling. My exercise tolerance has increased. Oh, and my BNP level (a heart failure indicator blood test) went from 1400 to 400.

Two weeks ago, my family and I took a trip to San Diego to visit the Zoo and Sea World. I walked around these places with no problem, including Sea World for 7.5 hours on a hot day. I even walked on some hills at the zoo and was fine.

As for side effects, at first, the urinary hesitancy was the worst. Then the dry mouth. With time, they have both lessened. I have been on varying amounts, starting at 300 mg. and I am now on 500, having stopped at 400 and 450 on the way. Now, I occasionally notice each one, but they don't really impact me. I drink a lot of water to combat the dry mouth, and I guess that and eating lots of fiber keep me from being constipated. I have rarely had this problem. Even when travelling, which is when I might get it, I haven't. I have even been carrying around some fiber tabs when travelling, but I haven't used them yet. Now I probably have to urinate more than the average person, but it is not a problem.

By the way, you should search the archives for "norpace" and for "disopyramide." You will find lots of info. there from when I and Angus Campbell were starting the drug earlier this year.

Lastly, if the side effects are bothering you, there is another drug called Pyridostigmine (Mestinon) which is used to treat myasthenia gravis. It is supposed to treat the anti-cholinergic side effects of Norpace. I have never tried it, because I have never felt that my side effects are that bad to take yet another drug, but my doctor did encourage me to take it if I felt that the side effects were getting to me.

Please feel free to write me directly if you have any other questions.

Good luck.

Cynthia

[angusjcampbell]

Hi Rhoda
Too bad the Norpace did not work out for Vinnie, but I'm with Cynthia; Norpace has worked well and improved quality of life for me. I'm on 300 mg 2x a day, along with Atenolol 100 mg 2x a day. That's pretty much the max, I think.

Towards the end of my 12 hour dosage cycle I can get some symptoms, so I try to time my activity and dosages accordingly. Occasionally - maybe once or twice a month I might get some symptoms in the middle of the day, but I can deal with that.

Side effects: Dry mouth, but I am used to it. I drink a lot of water but that is good for me anyway to avoid dehydration. There was some urinary hesitancy but that seems to have lessened or I am used to it.

The very few times I get off routine and forget my heart candy, the effect is dramatic- SOB and pain with just a little exertion.

Otherwise I can still exercise. I in-line skate but do not push myself aggressively and wear a monitor to see that my heart rate dos not go much over 120 (I'm 45).

Angus

[tyreke28]

Hi Rhonda,
I have been on Norpace since June and I have not had any of the nasty side effects. It has done wonders for the pains I was having. It did not cause the dry mouth that they indicate for me so it did not effect the amount of fluid that I have taken in thus not effecting the CHF. But it is your call you know what your body can and can not tolerate.

[Cynaburst]

Hi everyone,

I am interested in knowing how everyone else is doing on Norpace, but just so you know, Rhoda was allergic to it so she isn't taking it.

[Ad]

I'm running two weeks on 2x100mg Norpace now, and as far as my heart is concerned, it really improves things a lot. I'm into an episode of heartburn however, and not sure whether the Norpace has to do with it yes or no (heartburn isn't typically mentioned as a side effect). I have a dry throat, but this makes my voice just so interesting :roll: :wink: :shock: . No obstipation for me, once anything i swallow is past my stomach nothing seems to matter. I'll ask my GP to change the prescription to slow acting tablets, because the non-retarded capsules i use now have a sharp in-out effect.

Ad

[Cynaburst]

Ad - Yes, it is very important to take the Norpace CR. Try to take it about every 12 hours. And, the doseage you are on is really really tiny. You might want to get an echo and see what it is doing.