Development of tolerance to nifedipine in patients with stable angina pectoris

1. The possibility of development of tolerance to the anti-ischaemic and anti-anginal effects of nifedipine during sustained administration for 2 months was studied in 15 patients with stable angina pectoris by means of repeated exercise tests on a treadmill. 2. After acute administration of nifedipine (20-30 mg) substantial anti-ischaemic and anti-anginal effects lasted for at least 4 h in all patients. 3. During sustained nifedipine treatment with a dose schedule which provided continuous anti-ischaemic effect during a day (mean daily dose 82.7 +/- 6.0 mg, range 60-120 mg) a substantial attenuation of this effect was registered. The duration of the anti-ischaemic effect was 5.4 +/- 0.3 h after acute administration, decreasing significantly to 3.6 +/- 0.4 h during sustained administration. 4. The attenuation of the nifedipine effect was not associated with worsening of the patients' condition. 5. Plasma concentrations of nifedipine and its metabolite were similar after acute administration and during sustained treatment. Protein binding of nifedipine also remained constant during the study. 6. There was marked interindividual variation in the degree of attenuation of the nifedipine effect during sustained administration. In five patients nearly complete loss of nifedipine efficacy was registered. Eight to ten days after stopping regular administration of nifedipine only partial restoration of nifedipine effect was observed. 7. We conclude that during sustained nifedipine administration tolerance to its anti-ischaemic, anti-anginal and circulatory effects develops in a substantial number of patients with stable angina pectoris.