Hypertension Management When You Need It Most

(NAPSA)-If you're one of the millions of Americans who suffers from hypertension, there's eye-opening news. A higher rate of cardiovascular events-including heart attack, stroke and sudden cardiac death-occurs in the morning.

Doctors say blood pressure rises in the early morning, peaks in the late morning, then slowly declines, reaching its lowest level during sleep. This is because blood pressure has a circadian rhythm (the body's natural "clock" that is believed to dictate biological cycles and functions).

To compensate for the rise in blood pressure in the morning, doctors have concentrated on ways to deliver hypertension drugs in greater amounts when blood pressure is higher (mornings) and in smaller dosages when blood pressure is lower (the middle of the night)-while not disturbing the sleep cycle. The science is called chronotherapeutics.

A recent study involving over 2,500 patients confirms that the chronotherapeutic drug called Verelan¨ PM (verapamil HCl) works with the body's circadian rhythms to manage hypertension.1
Patients who take the drug at night may see lower blood pressure the following morning, possibly reducing their risk of serious or even life-threatening events.

The drug incorporates technology that allows for a four- to five-hour delay in delivery after it is taken.

"Cardiovascular researchers have known for some time that blood pressure rises rapidly in the early morning as a person wakes and begins activity," says president Ron Stratton of Schwarz Pharma Inc., marketers of the drug. "The medical community is beginning to appreciate the importance of a patient's natural body rhythms as they relate to timing of medications."

The clinical significance of reducing the early-morning rise in blood pressure has not been established. Verapamil should be administered cautiously in patients with impaired renal or hepatic function. Headache, constipation, peripheral edema, and dizziness were among the most common side effects. For complete prescribing information, please visit www.schwarzusa.com. To receive patient materials on hypertension, please send a self-addressed stamped business envelope to: Schwarz Pharma, Attn. Communications Manager, 6140 W. Executive Dr. Mequon, WI 53092.

1. Prisant LM, Black HR, Messerli FH, Weber MA. Results of a Community-Based Trial of a Chronotherapeutic Verapamil Formulation. Am J Hypertension. 2002;15:58A.

Archives:

• 2-3-03 Hypertension Management When You Need It Most
• 2-3-03 How Healthy Is Your Medicine Cabinet?

More Health and Fitness Archives

Sponsor