Pain, pills, and possibilities: drug therapy in peripheral vascular disease

Currently, pharmacologic therapy offers no cures for the patient with vascular disease. Drugs are available, however, to prevent or delay the end organ damage of vascular disease, to keep vessels patent as long as possible, and to provide some relief from the pain associated with vascular disease and cell damage. In this article, the author reviews the drugs used to manage hypertension--diuretics, beta blockers, alpha adrenergic blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, antiadrenergic drugs, and nitroprusside; and drugs used to maintain vessel patency in peripheral vascular disease--peripheral vasodilators and anticoagulants; and reviews one regimen for dealing with the chronic pain of vascular disease--narcotics and tricyclic antidepressants.