Clinical pharmacology of calcium antagonists as antihypertensive and anti-anginal drugs.
USE OF CALCIUM ANTAGONISTS: These drugs are prescribed for antihypertensive activity in patients with essential hypertension, perioperative hypertension associated with thoracic surgery, angina pectoris and for secondary prevention after acute coronary syndromes (myocardial infarction, unstable angina).
Pharmacokinetic improvements to the original calcium antagonists have provided slow- and long-acting drugs in the dihydropyridine group, which provoke little or no reflex tachycardia. Vasoselectivity (to a certain degree) is another improvement in a few newer compounds. Some may even have a certain selectivity for particular, specialized vascular beds.


RESULTS
At present it seems preferable to use the newer slow- and long-acting dihydropyridine calcium antagonists. Their long-term safety is the subject of ongoing, randomized prospective trials.
van Zwieten
P A
PA
Department of Pharmacotherapy, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000517:prevention & control; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000517:prevention & control
D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers