Verelan PM

Verelan PM is an extended-release medication that is prescribed for treating high blood pressure. The prescription medication works by slowing down the rate at which calcium moves into your heart and blood vessel walls, helping to relax the blood vessels and improve blood flow. Verelan PM comes in the form of a capsule and is usually taken once a day at bedtime. Side effects of the medication may include a sore throat, dizziness, and headaches.

 

What Is Verelan PM?

Verelan PM® (verapamil hydrochloride) is a prescription medication used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Verelan PM capsules are specially designed to slowly release the medication over time, with a peak effect in the early morning hours when blood pressure is naturally higher.
 
(Click Verelan PM Uses for more information on what Verelan PM is used for, including possible off-label uses.)
 

Who Makes Verelan PM?

Verelan PM is made by Schwarz Pharma.
 

How Does Verelan PM Work?

Verelan PM is part of a class of drugs called
 calcium channel blockers. Verelan PM helps to slow down the rate at which calcium moves into your heart and blood vessel walls. This, in turn, helps to relax the blood vessels, which improves blood flow and makes it easier for the heart to pump blood.
 
There are two basic types of calcium channel blockers, dihydropyridine and non-dihydropyridine. The most important difference between the two types is that non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers can slow down the heart rate, while dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers do not. Verelan PM is a non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, which means that it can decrease the heart rate. As a result, Verelan PM is useful for treating certain types of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
 
Verelan PM capsules contain tiny beads that are designed to begin releasing the medication slowly four to five hours after the medication is taken. Because Verelan PM is taken at bedtime, the effects of the medication peak in the early morning hours, when blood pressure naturally rises.
 
(Verelan PM Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;