Doctors’ Answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” – Cardizem
These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as
recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is
always advised to consult their own physician.
[posted 02/9/2000]
Question: i was trying to find out if any of the drugs that i take for hypertension (cardizem cd, cozaar, and hozaar) could be causing the gum problems i am having.
Answer: The calcium channel blockers are thought to cause gum changes in some patients. This is research published in dental journals which I have not seen, but has been quoted to my by several dentists. Check with your dentist, but, cardiazem would be the most likely culprit at this time.
Cardizem [posted 1/14/99]
Question: I began taking cardizem last week with hydrochlorothiazide. However, I
have been having asthma-like symptoms since May. The three medications (theochron,
vanceril and atrovert with an occasional help from maxair) seemed to help and I improved
greatly and could breath freely. I was taking norvasc 5 mg twice a day at the time. I feel
much better now than before taking cardizem with the diuretic. But now I can feel the lung
congestion coming back in spite of the three asthma medications. Is there a connection
between taking cardizem plus the diuretic and the congestion? That’s the only thing I can
think of. Please let me know what you think.
Answer:Well, cardizem is a cardiac depressant in occasional patients.
This raises the issue of “cardiac asthma”, which is really fluid backing up in
your lung due to low cardiac output. I would see what your ejection fraction is and ensure
that this is not mild heart failure (a relative contraindication for this drug).
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