Antihypertensive Treatment Using Calcium Antagonists in Combination with Captopril Rather than Diuretics

The antihypertensive efficacy of combination therapy with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril and a diuretic or a calcium antagonist was compared in 16 patients with essential hypertension with a blood pressure of over 160/95 mm Hg having triple drug therapy. While monotherapy with a calcium antagonist--usually verapamil 500 mg/day or nitrendipine 70 mg/day--did not reduce diastolic blood pressure to greater than 95 mm Hg, …