Calcium-Antagonist Drugs

Abstract

Drugs classified as calcium antagonists or calcium-channel blockers were introduced into clinical medicine in the 1960s and are now among the most frequently prescribed drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.¹ Although the currently available calcium antagonists are chemically diverse, they share the common property of blocking the transmembrane flow of calcium ions through voltage-gated L-type (slowly inactivating) channels.² These drugs have proved effective in patients with hypertension, angina pectoris, and cardiac arrhythmias and may be beneficial in patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, Raynaud's phenomenon, migraine, preterm labor, esophageal spasm, and bipolar disorders.L-Type Calcium ChannelsAll calcium antagonists . . .