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Re: Calcium causing depress./apathy etc.?Larry, Others

Posted by Patient on September 8, 2004, at 12:21:58

In reply to Re: Calcium causing depress./apathy etc.?Larry, Others, posted by Patient on September 8, 2004, at 10:33:08

Hi again,

I thought of a few things I wanted to include, hoping I not going down the slippery slope of tangents or confusion.

I found the following at http://www.healthscout.com/ency/1/478/main.html

Though the article specifically refers to coronary heart disease, calcium channel blockers are also being used to treat migraines, so I thought maybe there is a connection between calcium and heachaches. Since magnesium acts as a calcium channel blocker, I would be curious if taking magnesium along with the calcium would counter any headache.

"Health Encyclopedia - Diseases and
Conditions

Calcium Channel Blockers

Definition of Calcium Channel Blockers

Calcium channel blockers, also called calcium antagonists, are a newer
category of medications which are used to treat heart disease and
hypertension. They can slow the heart rate and relax blood vessels and they
work by diminishing the flow of calcium between cells.

Description of Calcium Channel Blockers

Many patients with hypertension have benefited from calcium channel
blockers. They are often prescribed for patients with coronary artery disease
and are also used for heart rhythm abnormalities and hypertension.

These drugs include nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat), diltiazem (Cardizem,
Dilacor), verapamil (Calan, Verelan, Isoptin), nicardipine (Cardene),
amlodipine (Norvasc), felodipine (Plendil), isradipine (DynaCirc), and several
newer agents.

The drugs attach to the surface membrane of the muscles in the artery wall
and prevent calcium from entering. Without calcium, the muscles relax and
the arteries dilate.

The heartbeat is controlled by tiny electrical impulses, which explains why
doctors use pacemakers to regulate heartbeat.

Calcium plays a key role in regulating the heart's response to these electrical
signals. It flows between the heart cells and surrounding fluid through a sort of
chemical revolving door - the calcium channel. The more calcium that gets
through the door before the electrical signal comes, the more strongly the
heart contracts and the harder it works.

Calcium channel blockers, like verapamil and its cousins, do not quite "lock"
the revolving door, but they significantly slow it down. This eases the load on
a damaged heart and, for many patients, improves heart functioning.

For those who suffer from angina, calcium channel blockers have proved to
be among the most effective medications ever discovered. They help the
heart to work with less effort and, at the same time, relax the coronary
arteries, improving the supply of oxygen-enriched blood of the heart itself. The
result is almost as if the drug told the heart to sit back, relax, and take a few
deep breaths."

I also wanted to add another suggestion: if you still continue to get headaches after restarting the calcium, then try taking vitamin B 6 along with it and see what happens. As I understand it, vit. B6 is involved in the metabolism of calcium, as well as magnesium and selenium. Just curious if this will help-my gut instinct tells me it will.

Take care, Lisa


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