verapamil

[ veer-uh-pam-uhl, ver- ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a white crystalline powder, C 27 H 38 N 2 O 4 , used as a calcium blocker in the treatment of angina and certain arrhythmias.

verapamil

/ vɪˈræpəˌmɪl /

noun

1. med a calcium-channel blocker used in the treatment of angina pectoris, hypertension, and some types of irregular heart rhythm

Word History and Origins

Origin of verapamil¹

1965–70; perhaps by rearrangement of letters from valeronitrile and aminopropyl, two of its chemical components

Example Sentences

When the team treated the mice with verapamil, a calcium channel blocker used to treat hypertension and chest pains, the mice quickly recovered muscle function and began to resemble their healthy, wild type peers.

From Science Daily

Sometimes, because of these policies, patients are put on meds that are not approved by the FDA for the treatment of migraines, like the antidepressant amitriptyline and the high blood pressure drug verapamil.

From The Verge

After hearing about the sometimes circuitous academic paths of graduate students who led the experiments, students got down to the business of calculating concentrations of verapamil and observing its effect on cardiomyocytes under the microscope.

From Washington Times

The committee also recommended that ivabradine should not be prescribed along with verapamil or diltiazem, drugs that also lower the heart rate.

From Forbes

Dixon-Salazar acknowledges that these results are anecdotal and that verapamil is unlikely to be a general epilepsy treatment.

From Nature