Comparison between atenolol and nadolol in essential hypertension at rest and on exercise.

Abstract

1 The effects of 4 week treatment periods of once‐daily atenolol 100 mg, nadolol 80 mg, nadolol 160 mg and placebo on resting and exercise heart rate and blood pressure were compared in a single‐blind crossover trial in fifteen patients with essential hypertension. 2 Both atenolol and nadolol, irrespective of dose, reduced resting and exercise blood pressures to the same extent. 3 Nadolol caused a greater bradycardia both at rest and during exercise than did atenolol, thereby effecting a greater reduction in double‐product. 4 During progressive treadmill exercise neither atenolol nor nadolol prevented a linear increase in heart rate and blood pressure which were parallel to, but at a lower level than, that produced by placebo. 5 In each individual patient the magnitude of the hypotensive effect produced by one drug was similar to that produced by the other. 6 All the treatment periods resulted in the same linear increase in the patients' perceived exertion scores during exercise despite marked differences in haemodynamic responses evoked by the beta‐adrenoceptor blockers compared with placebo. 7 Neither atenolol or nadolol produced any significant change in peak expiratory flow rate compared with placebo. 1982 The British Pharmacological Society