Propranolol versus verapamil for the treatment of essential hypertension

Assessment of ‘once daily’ verapamil for the treatment of hypertension using ambulatory, intra-arterial blood pressure recording

“…It is implied, but not proven, that drugs which modify the blood pressure response during such exercise should be preferred for the treatment of hypertension. The results of this study confirm previous reports [6,7] that verapamil decreases the absolute level of blood pressure achieved during both forms of exercise, but has little or no effect on the magnitude of the blood pressure response to exercise. This observation has been interpreted as indicating that the cardiovascular control reflexes are unaltered by treatment with verapamil [7].…”

“…These results demonstrate that this slow release formulation of verapamil effectively reduces blood pressure in essential hypertension when administered once daily at 08:00 h. The magnitude of blood pressure reduction was comparable to that reported in other studies, when blood pressure was measured using the same system, and a conventional formulation of verapamil was administered two [7] or three [6] times daily. The drug effect was less pronounced at night, as shown by a decreased percentage blood pressure reduction and a less pronounced effect on heart-rate.…”

“…Initially, it was shown to be useful for treating angina pectoris [1, 2] and for the suppression of supraventricular arrhythmias [3,4]. More recently the drug has been shown to be an effective treatment for mild-to-moderate arterial hypertension, when administered three times daily [5,6] or twice daily [7]. The drug lowers blood pressure through its action as an arterial vasodilator [8] but because of its depressant action on the sinu-atrial node, reflex tachycardia does not occur [4] and the heart rate may even be reduced [6].…”

“…The drug lowers blood pressure through its action as an arterial vasodilator [8] but because of its depressant action on the sinu-atrial node, reflex tachycardia does not occur [4] and the heart rate may even be reduced [6]. The drug produces side-effects [5,7] which, although mild, may limit patient compliance. It also has a short half-life and the necessary frequency of administration may result in poor compliance [9].…”

Calcium Channel Blockers in Systemic Hypertension

“…In a more recent study [53], the level of blood pres sure reduction after chronic therapy with propranolol, 40-240 mg twice daily, and verapamil, 120-240 mg twice daily, was compared. Both drugs were shown to produce a uniform and comparable reduction in blood pressure, together with a reduction in heart rate (which was greater with propranolol).…”