Combined gallopamil and isosorbide-5-mononitrate in "mixed" angina pectoris

The efficacy of combining gallopamil and isosorbide-5-mononitrate (IS-5-MN) was evaluated in 15 patients with "mixed" angina and documented coronary artery disease who participated in a 4-week, double-blind, double-dummy, crossover, placebo-controlled trial. After the first week of the placebo phase (single-blinded), all patients received in three different weeks IS-5-MN 20 mg three times daily, gallopamil 50 mg three times daily, and the same dosages of IS-5-MN and gallopamil three times daily. Exercise tolerance, and peak values of heart rate, systolic blood pressure, double product (DP/100), and ST-segment were evaluated with a treadmill test at the end of each phase. The improvement in exercise tolerance obtained by the combination of the two drugs was significantly greater (p < 0.01) than that achieved by IS-5-MN but not that by gallopamil monotherapy (NS). This effect was accompanied by significant (p < 0.05) reduction (-61%) in ST-segment and significant (p < 0.05) increment (+8%) in peak heart rate only after administration of the combination of the two drugs. The number of ST-depression (ST-) > 1 mm or ST-elevation (ST+) episodes on 24-h Holter monitoring lasting > or = 1 min were also noted in all patients at the end of each phase of the trial.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)