The safety of nitrendipine in the treatment of essential hypertension--a review of 61 clinical studies.

To assess the safety of the calcium channel blocker nitrendipine, data from 61 clinical studies conducted in the United States and involving 1,245 patients were reviewed. The drug appeared to be tolerated in the majority of patients and the dropout rate was low. The most common side effects associated with nitrendipine administration were headache and edema. Most side effects were mild and were tolerated or disappeared with continued therapy. No serious adverse biochemical, hemodynamic, renal, or humoral effects of nitrendipine were apparent. Nitrendipine produced a prompt, smooth, and sustained reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressures in both the supine and standing positions. The blood pressure response was maintained for six months to one year with no evidence of resistance or tachyphylaxis. Sex and race had no influence on the antihypertensive effect of nitrendipine, but patients sixty years of age and older appeared to respond better to the drug than younger patients.