Calcium antagonist drugs

Ophthalmic beta blockers may affect oral beta blockers, catecholamine-depleting drugs, calcium antagonists, digitalis, and phenothiazines. 

In symptomatic patients, medical therapy can be tailored either to control ventricular response or to restore sinus rhythm. Nondihydropyridine calcium antagonists (e.g., verapamil) are considered first-line drug therapy for decreasing ventricular response. Type I agents (e.g., procainamide, quinidine) are only occasionally effective in restoring sinus rhythm. DCC is ineffective, and /3-blockers are usually contraindicated because of coexisting severe pulmonary disease or uncompensated HF. 

Gingival hyperplasia Antiepileptics (phenytoin), immunosuppressant drugs, calcium channel antagonists (felodipin, amlodipin, nifedipin)... 

Recent results suggest a promising application of soft drugs in the field of topical corticosteroids (e.g., loteprednol etabonate [142]) and calcium antagonists (e.g., clevipidine [143]). 

M. Yabuki, F. Shono, I. Nakatsuka, A. Yoshitake, Novel Cleavage of the 1,2,4-Oxadia-zole Ring in Rat Metabobsm of SM-6586, a Dihydropyridine Calcium Antagonist , Drug Metab. Dispos. 1993, 21, 1167 - 1169. 

Murphy KM, Gould RJ, Fargent BF, Snyder SH. (1983) A unitary mechanism of calcium antagonist drug action. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 80 860-864. 

These drugs were developed as coronary vasodilating agents and were used for that purpose for some time, until it was discovered that they inhibit the contractile effect of calcium on smooth musculature and cardiac muscle, and that they affect calcium channels on the cell surface that permit calcium ions to enter. At first, they were called calcium antagonists however, later on this class of compounds was given the preferred name of calcium channel blockers. 

Kelly JG, O Malley K. Calcium antagonists in the elderly. Drugs Aging 1993 3(5) 400-7. 

Van Zwieten PA. Clinical pharmacology of calcium antagonists as antihypertensive and anti-anginal drugs. J Hypertens 1996 14(Suppl 3) S3-9. 

Headache is one of the most frequent complaints which mankind suffers from. Most commonly the headache starts from one of the pain sensitive structures of the skull, but diseases originating outside the skull are also important causes of headache. Diseases of the eye, sinuses, jaw, teeth and neck often cause headache, but also visceral tissue may give rise to headache. The headache may be secondary to many diseases, e.g. anaemia and hypertension. Drug induced headache is not uncommon, either as an adverse reaction, e.g. to calcium antagonists and SSRIs, or as part of more complex problems in chronic headache. 

Abernathy DR and Schwartz JB. Calcium-antagonist drugs. N Engl J Med 1999 34 1447-1457. 

Application of part of the classical Hantzsch pyridine synthesis leads to nifedipine (87) (81 AG(E)762, 68SAP6801482), a calcium antagonist useful in the treatment of angina. The pharmacology of a chemically related drug, nisoldipine (88), has recently been studied (80AF2144). Both compounds inhibit the transmembrane movement of calcium into activated smooth and cardiac muscle. Nisoldipine, however, is characterized by a high potency and uniqueness of action and may well prove to be of considerable therapeutic value. 

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