Verapamil (120-160 mg three times daily) produced a consistent reduction of blood pressure and heart rate over 24 hours in 16 hypertensive patients, without postural hypotension.
Does verapamil reduce 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in hypertensive subjects?
Verapamil provides consistent 24-hour blood pressure reduction in hypertensive patients, supporting its use as an antihypertensive therapy.
The blood pressure response in hypertensive subjects to chronic treatment with verapamil, a calcium antagonist (or, more precisely, a slow-channel inhibitor), was studied using the Oxford system for continuous monitoring of intraarterial blood pressure. Sixteen patients underwent continuous monitoring over a 48-hour period before and after at least 6 weeks of therapy (dose range 120-160 mg three times daily). Each monitoring period included physiologic tests designed to show the effects of different types of exercise. Verapamil produces a consistent reduction of blood pressure over 24 hours, but particularly during the day. Heart rate was similarly reduced. There was no evidence of postural hypotension, and the absolute responses to dynamic and isometric exercise were reduced. The degree of reduction of the blood pressure was consistent, suggesting that slow-channel inhibitors may be appropriate for antihypertensive therapy.
Gould et al. (1982) studied Hypertension (n=16). Verapamil vs. Baseline (before therapy) was evaluated on Blood pressure response over 24 hours. Verapamil (120-160 mg three times daily) produced a consistent reduction of blood pressure and heart rate over 24 hours in 16 hypertensive patients, without postural hypotension.