Verapamil and Peyronie's disease treatment
Verapamil is used in Peyronie’s disease treatment by injection directly into the Peyronie’s plaque or a topical Verapamil cream is applied to the skin over the Peyronie’s plaque. For more information about this method, see Peyronie's disease treatment via direct drug injection.
Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker of the phenylalkylamine L-type. It works by relaxing the muscles of the heart and blood vessels. Verapamil is an anti-arrhythmic drug approved by the FDA in 1981 to treat hypertension, angina, cardiac arrhythmia, and recently, cluster headaches. No oral or transdermal Verapamil is approved for Peyronie’s disease treatment. Most used for Peyronie’s treatment is in the form of a topical Verapamil cream that is applied twice daily for many months.
There are many different companies that compete against each other with their own unique patented Verapamil formula, creating difficulty to know what to believe about the use of Verapamil for Peyronie’s disease treatment.
With so much competition among companies and unsafe practices of illegal companies, some even resort to making inferior and dangerous topical Verapamil cream products. As a result, Peyronie’s patients who use counterfeit Verapamil have reported:
- Changes in blood pressure, causing dizziness, fainting, heart beat irregularities, often requiring changes in other medications to become stabilized
- Severe skin irritation
- Skin burns and blistering
Peyronie’s Verapamil connection
As with many popular medications, the exact way Verapamil is supposed to benefit Peyronie's disease is not entirely known. Keep this in mind when someone says they do not know how vitamin E or acetyl-L-carnitine or PABA helps Peyronie’s disease.
It is proposed that long term use of Verapamil blocks calcium from entering into the Peyronie’s plaque or scar. Another theory s that Verapamil increases fibroblast activity to make more collagenase that breaks down the Peyronie’s plaque or scar. However, calcium is an essential mineral that must have free access and movement in all tissues and hundreds of different normal and healthy chemical, enzyme and hormone functions of the body. The body needs calcium to function normally and healthfully, and it does not do well when it is blocked by a drug like Verapamil.
Peyronie's disease and Verapamil side effects
When taken topically or orally for Peyronie’s, Verapamil can cause side effects that may impair thinking or abnormal organ function because of calcium metabolism interference. Care should be used when driving a car, operating dangerous equipment, or any skill in which mental alertness or memory is needed.
Verapamil and Peyronie's disease warning
Men treating Peyronie’s disease with Verapamil must deal with extreme fatigue, loss of energy, blood pressure problems and skin reactions that often occur. Also, if Verapamil is stopped suddenly any side effect or problem for which it is being taken (like Peyronies) may become worse.
You should not use Verapamil if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
- Serious heart conditions, especially "sick sinus syndrome" or "AV block" (unless you have a pacemaker)
- Low blood pressure
- Recent heart attack
Personal experience with Verapamil and Peyronie's disease
After attempting to treat my own Peyronie’s disease with topical Verapamil cream for eight months, my overall health suffered from weakness, fatigue, memory failure and low blood pressure caused by the Verapamil in my blood stream. However, worst of all, while using Verapamil my Peyronie’s disease worsened. The size of each Peyronie’s plaque increased and my Peyronie’s curve doubled.
Shortly after using Alternative Medicine to eliminate my Peyronie’s problem, I started the Peyronie’s Disease Institute with my MD colleagues I was working with at the time. With this organization I communicate with dozens of men daily about their problems with PD. Considering the information outlined above, it seems fewer and fewer medical doctors use Verapamil for Peyronie’s disease management.