Calcium channel blockers and essential tremor.
Acute effects of two calcium blockers, nifedipine and verapamil, were investigated on the tremor activity of 8 patients with essential tremor and compared with those of propranolol and placebo. Following a single oral dose of 10 mg of nifedipine, tremor intensity of the patients was increased by 71.4 +/- 22.6%. Nifedipine also enhanced physiological tremor in 6 healthy volunteers by 56.0 +/- 21.9%. This effect of nifedipine was not correlated with the increase in heart rate or decrease in systemic blood pressure. Verapamil (80 mg) did not appreciably alter the patients' tremor activity.
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014202:Tremor / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014700:Verapamil / Q000494:pharmacology*
D011433:Propranolol; D014700:Verapamil; D009543:Nifedipine