Single- and multiple-dose nisoldipine kinetics and effects in the young, the middle-aged, and the elderly

Pharmacokinetics of nisoldipine and the drug's effects on blood pressure and heart rate were investigated in healthy young (20 to 23 years of age), middle-aged (49 to 57 years of age), and elderly (75 to 84 years of age) subjects after single-dose and short-term multiple-dose oral administration (10 mg twice daily). No age-dependent differences in pharmacokinetic parameters were observed. Decreases in blood pressure were comparable in the three groups, but reflex tachycardia was less pronounced in the elderly subjects. Side effects mainly occurred on the first day of drug administration. Dose adaptation of nisoldipine does not seem to be necessary in elderly subjects.