Nadolol and propranolol in the treatment of hypertension: a double-blind comparison

Nadolol and propranolol were compared in seventy-five hypertensive patients in a double-blind randomized study conducted at Ain-Shams Hospital. After an initial wash-out period of 5 weeks, including 3 weeks of placebo administration, forty-five patients were given nadolol once daily and thirty patients received propranolol four times per day for 12 weeks, followed by a tapering-off period of 2 weeks. Both beta-blocking agents were effective in controlling hypertension with final daily doses ranging from 80 to 320 mg. Of statistical significance, however, were the better responses of supine systolic blood pressure elicited by nadolol. The only adverse reactions that occurred in this series were slight weight gains in two patients treated with nadolol and moderate dizziness in one patient treated with propranolol. Nadolol was proved to be a safe antihypertensive drug, at least comparable to propranolol in efficacy, with the advantages of a once-daily dose and a lack of direct depressant action on the heart.