Acute antihypertensive effects of calcium channel blockers are not affected by calcium supplementation in patients with essential hypertension.

The study was designed to investigate whether the acute antihypertensive effects of calcium channel blockers are affected by calcium supplementation in patients with essential hypertension. The antihypertensive effects of calcium channel blockers (oral manidipine or intravenous nicardipine) were studied before and during calcium supplementation (1200 mg/day for 8 weeks) in 30 hospitalized patients with essential hypertension. The averages of systolic and diastolic blood pressure during a 24-hour period were not decreased by calcium supplementation. The acute antihypertensive effects of the calcium channel blockers nicardipine (0.25, 0.5, 1.5, 2.0 micrograms/kg/min, intravenous infusion) or manidipine (20 mg, once a day, orally) were not enhanced by calcium supplementation. Thus, calcium channel blockers can be safely combined with calcium supplementation in terms of blood pressure.