Responses to sympathetic stimulation and tilting during antihypertensive treatment with nisoldipine

Nisoldipine is a calcium antagonist of the dihydropyridine group under investigation for treatment of hypertension. The authors have assessed the cardiovascular response to adrenergic stimulation by isometric exercise, cold pressor test and 70 degrees head-up tilt on four occasions: following placebo, acute and chronic administration of nisoldipine 5 mg or 10 mg o.d. in eighteen mild to moderately hypertensive patients (13 M, 5 F; age range 28-69 years). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured by automatic recorder. Blood pressure was significantly decreased at 2 h after administration of nisoldipine. Blood pressure maximal response at 3 min during isometric exercise following nisoldipine 10 mg chronic was significantly lower, compared to placebo as well as to a 5 mg dose (172/105 +/- 13/8 with 10 mg vs. 182/116 +/- 21/14 with 5 mg and 182/113 +/- 18/11 with placebo; p less than 0.05). Cardiovascular response to the cold pressor test showed a similar pattern; head-up tilt did not cause hypotension. The results of this study suggest that administration of nisoldipine in hypertensive patients slightly attenuates the pressor response to sympathetic stimulation by isometric exercise.