I'm back again after going AWOL from this site for months. I finally became PF in February and almost superstitiously, I've tried to stay away.

Quick backstory. My last cluster was February 1st of this year, after being in cycle from the previous October. I stopped Verapamil after being PF for 2-3 months.

My last two cycles started around the beginning to end of October. I really don't think i could handle another cycle again right now, especially which traveling for work (I'm currently in China).

So my question is, if i start taking Verapamil again (after speaking to my doctor of course), can i stop a cycle before it starts? Or do i have to wait until i really get one? I've been feeling little shadows the past few days and it's freaking me out a little to be honest. Has anyone had any success beginning Verapamil before the cycle actually starts?

Thanks for any feedback.

Verapamil won't stop a cycle from starting, it just keeps beasty at bay. So starting it won't stop a cycle from starting, but if you have predictable cycles, it might not be a bad idea to start the verapamil when you believe the cycle is beginning. More so since you're starting to shadow.

Has your doctor used prednisone with you in the past? It's a great transitional med for many, it'll keep the beast completely at bay for me while my prevent ramps up. I'll to a 10-14 day prednisone taper when my cycle is starting, to give my prevent, lithium, a chance to build up in my system. Worth chatting to the doc about.

Joe

If your cycle is quite predicable starting before the expected time is worth a try. We have had folks who, having a very short cycle, would stay on Verap 100% of the time, effectively blocking the start of a cycle.

Agree with Joe that Pred. is a magic bullet when you are having an attack. So, until you determine whether Verap weill work for you to prevent a cycle, I'd keep some Pred on hand as an emergency fallback.