Twenty-four hour ambulatory blood pressure profile of a new, sustained-release preparation of nicardipine.

The 24-hour blood pressure (BP) profile of a new sustained-release preparation of nicardipine was assessed in 16 patients with essential hypertension (supine cuff diastolic BP greater than 95 mmHg). Twenty-four hour ambulatory intraarterial BP monitoring (Oxford system) before treatment revealed a mean (SD) daytime BP of 174 (19) mmHg systolic and 105 (8) mmHg diastolic, and a mean nighttime BP of 142 (26) mmHg systolic and 83 (12) mmHg diastolic. Sustained release nicardipine (60 mg) was administered twice daily for 4-6 weeks and the ambulatory BP monitoring repeated. No significant change in heart rate occurred throughout the 24-hour period. However, there was a significant reduction (p less than 0.0001) in the mean daytime BP of 21 (13) mmHg systolic and 12 (9) mmHg diastolic and of mean nighttime BP of 21 (5) mmHg systolic and 13 (11) mmHg diastolic. A similar reduction in hourly mean BP occurred throughout the whole 24-hour period, including the steep early morning rise in BP. Although vasodilatory-type side effects occurred, they were generally mild to moderate and transient. This preparation produces a significant reduction in BP throughout the 24-hour period without reflex tachycardia.