The Use of Calcium Antagonists in Patients with Renal Failure

Calcium antagonists are now frequently used for the treatment of high blood pressure, angina pectoris and cardiac arrhythmias. Increasingly, these drugs are also given to patients with renal failure, since several studies have demonstrated that calcium antagonists lower blood pressure in patients with renal hypertension and renal insufficiency. Relevant pharmacokinetic parameters for verapamil, nitrendipine and diltiazem are not altered in renal failure. The situation is more complex in the case of nifedipine. However, studies with repeated administration have demonstrated that the calcium antagonists verapamil, diltiazem, nifedipine and nitrendipine can be given in the same doses to patients with renal failure as to patients with normal renal function.