Why had body rashes after changing medication form Diltiazem ER to Verapamil ER?
Patient: I changed from Diltiazem ER 360mg to Verapamil ER 360mg, after 7 days I broke out in a rash covering my whole body.  Now I'm back on Diltiazem.  They are both channel blockers so I want to know why the verapamil did that, it is a tier 1 drug for me with no co-pay, the diltiazem is tier 3 & costly.  Thank you Doctor: Hi,I can understand your concern for skin rashes with itchiness. There can be multiple possibilities of the red rashes and it requires a close physical examination to diagnose the exact entity of the problem.In my view correlating with the facts you have provided it appears to be either  allergic dermatitis or simple hives of the area due to multiple causes.I suggest you to meet a dermatologist to for proper therapy. In between you should avoid contact of dust to the area properly. If I were your dermatologist then presumptively would have preferred to apply fluticasone with mupirocin cream. You can take an antihistamine such as loratadine for twice a day if itching is present.Do not try to pinch, pop or squeeze the area as it may cause secondary infection of the area.All the best