[Isoptin SR-240 and SR-120 in ambulatory treatment of arterial hypertension]

Arterial hypertension, especially when co-exists with ischemic heart disease, makes an important clinical and social problem. Necessity to continue a treatment during the whole patients life produces many problems for a patient himself as well as for a physician. Thus, for many years, researches have been carried out to find a medicine that would allow to fully control blood pressure for all day, would have minimal side-effects and could be administered once a day. Beside convertase inhibitors such as Prestarium and Gopten, calcium channel blockers, especially retard verapamil forms like Isoptin SR-240 and SR-120 seem to be the most appropriate medicines, especially when hypertension is accompanied by ischemic heart disease and dysrrythmias. The study was performed in 150 hypertensive patients who were administered Isoptin SR-240 once a day and Isoptin SR-120 twice a day. That dose was sufficient to normalize benign and mild hypertension in most patients. Decreased frequency of dyshrrytmias and chest pain relief were also observed. Trials to increase daily dose up to 360 mg were accompanied by evident side effects such as dizziness and constipations. Much more profitable was to join lower Isoptin dose with convertase inhibitors and diuretics.