Calcium channel blockers are a class of drugs and natural substances with effects on many excitable cells of the body, like the muscle of the heart, smooth muscles of the vessels or neuron cells. The latter are used as antiepileptics and are not covered in this article. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... Drawing by Santiago Ramón y Cajal of neurons in the pigeon cerebellum. ... The anticonvulsants, sometimes also called antiepileptics, belong to a diverse group of pharmaceuticals used in prevention of the occurrence of epileptic seizures. ...

The main action of calcium channel blockers is to decrease the blood pressure. It is for this action that it is used in individuals with hypertension. A sphygmomanometer, a device used for measuring arterial pressure. ... For other forms of hypertension, see Hypertension (disambiguation). ...

Explanation

Most calcium channel blockers decrease the force of contraction of the myocardium (muscle of the heart). This is known as the negative inotropic effect of calcium channel blockers. It is because of the negative inotropic effects of most calcium channel blockers that they are avoided (or used with caution) in individuals with cardiomyopathy. Myocardium is the muscular tissue of the heart. ...

Many calcium channel blockers also slow down the conduction of electrical activity within the heart, by blocking the calcium channel during the plateau phase of the action potential of the heart (see: cardiac action potential). This is known as a negative dromotropic effect. It causes a lowering of the heart rate and may cause heart blocks, which is known as the negative chronotropic effect of calcium channel blockers. The negative chronotropic effects of calcium channel blockers make them a commonly used class of agents in individuals with atrial fibrillation or flutter in whom control of the heart rate is an issue. A. A schematic view of an idealized action potential illustrates its various phases as the action potential passes a point on a cell membrane. ... The cardiac action potential is a specialized action potential in the heart, with unique properties necessary for function of the electrical conduction system of the heart. ... Heart rate is a term used to describe the frequency of the cardiac cycle. ... A heart block is a disease in the electrical system of the heart. ... Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is a cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) that involves the two upper chambers (atria) of the heart. ... Atrial flutter is an abnormal fast heart rhythm that occurs in the atria of the heart. ...

Mechanism of action

Calcium channel blockers work by blocking L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) in muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels. This prevents calcium levels from increasing as much in the cells when stimulated, leading to less muscle contraction. In the heart, a decrease in calcium available for each beat results in a decrease in cardiac contractility. In blood vessels, a decrease in calcium results in less contraction of the vascular smooth muscle and therefore an increase in blood vessel diameter, a phenomenon called vasodilation. Vasodilation decreases total peripheral resistance, while a decrease in cardiac contractility decreases cardiac output. Since blood pressure is in part determined by cardiac output and peripheral resistance, blood pressure drops. REDIRECT Voltage-dependent calcium channel Category: ... Structure of a skeletal muscle Muscle is one of the four tissue types. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... f you all The blood vessels are part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle A muscle contraction (also known as a muscle twitch or simply twitch) occurs when a muscle fiber generates tension through the action of actin and myosin cross-bridge cycling. ... Myocardial Contractility is a term used in physiology to describe the performance of cardiac muscle. ... Vascular smooth muscle refers to the particular type of smooth muscle found within, and composing the majority of the wall of blood vessels. ... The blood vessels are part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body. ... Total peripheral resistance refers the cumulative resistance of the thousands of arterioles in the body, or the lungs, respectively. ... Cardiac output (CO) is the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, in particular by a ventricle in a minute. ...

With a relatively low blood pressure, the afterload on the heart decreases; this decreases the amount of oxygen required by the heart. This can help ameliorate symptoms of ischemic heart disease such as angina pectoris. In cardiac physiology, afterload is the tension produced by a chamber of the heart in order to contract. ... Ischaemic heart disease is a disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart. ...

Unlike β-blockers, calcium channel blockers do not decrease the responsiveness of the heart to input from the sympathetic nervous system. Since moment-to-moment blood pressure regulation is carried out by the sympathetic nervous system (via the baroreceptor reflex), calcium channel blockers allow blood pressure to be maintained more effectively than do β-blockers. Beta blockers (sometimes written as β-blockers) are a class of drugs used for various indications, but particularly for the management of cardiac arrhythmias and cardioprotection after myocardial infarction. ... The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) is a branch of the autonomic nervous system. ... Baroreflex, also called baroreceptor reflex is the system in the body that regulates blood pressure. ...

However, because calcium channel blockers result in a decrease in blood pressure, the baroreceptor reflex often initiates a reflexive increase in sympathetic activity leading to increased heart rate and contractility. A β-blocker may be combined with a calcium channel blocker to minimize these effects.

Classes of calcium channel blockers

Dihydropyridine

Dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers are often used to reduce systemic vascular resistance and arterial pressure, but are not used to treat angina (with the exception of amlodipine, which carries an indication to treat chronic stable angina as well as vasospastic angina) because the vasodilation and hypotension can lead to reflex tachycardia. This CCB class is easily identified by the suffix "-dipine". angina tonsillaris see tonsillitis. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

• Amlodipine (Norvasc)
• Felodipine (Plendil)
• Nicardipine (Cardene, Carden SR)
• Nifedipine (Procardia, Adalat)
• Nimodipine (Nimotop)
• Nisoldipine (Sular)
• Nitrendipine (Cardif, Nitrepin)
• Lacidipine (Motens)
• Lercanidipine (Zanidip)

Side effects of these synthetic drugs may include but are not limited to: Amlodipine (as besylate or malleate) is a long-acting calcium channel blocker used as an anti-hypertensive and in the treatment of angina. ... Felodipine is a calcium channel blocker (calcium antagonist), a drug used to control hypertension (high blood pressure). ... Nicardipine hydrochloride (Cardene®) is a medication used to treat high blood pressure and angina. ... Nifedipine (brand name Adalat and Procardia) is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker. ... Nimodipine (marketed by Bayer as Nimotop®) is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure. ... Nisoldipine is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine class. ... Nitrendipine is a pyridine calcium channel blocker. ... Lacidipine is a calcium channel blocker. ... Lercanidipine is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine class. ...

• Dizziness, headache, redness in the face
• Fluid buildup in the legs
• Rapid heart rate.
• Slow heart rate.
• Constipation

Phenylalkylamine

Skeletal formula of verapamil

Phenylalkylamine calcium channel blockers are relatively selective for myocardium, reduce myocardial oxygen demand and reverse coronary vasospasm, and are often used to treat angina. They have minimal vasodilatory effects compared with dihydropyridines. Action is intracellular. Image File history File links Verapamil_skeletal. ... Image File history File links Verapamil_skeletal. ... A skeletal formula is a three-dimensional model of the molecule that demonstrates the molecular shape, including bond angles. ... Verapamil (brand names: Isoptin®, Verelan®, Calan®) is a medical drug that acts as an L-type calcium channel blocker. ...

• Verapamil (Calan, Isoptin)
• Gallopamil (D600)

Verapamil (brand names: Isoptin®, Verelan®, Calan®) is a medical drug that acts as an L-type calcium channel blocker. ...

Benzothiazepine

Structural formula of diltiazem

Benzothiazepine calcium channel blockers are an intermediate class between phenylalkylamine and dihydropyridines in their selectivity for vascular calcium channels. By having both cardiac depressant and vasodilator actions, benzothiazepines are able to reduce arterial pressure without producing the same degree of reflex cardiac stimulation caused by dihydropyridines. Image File history File links Diltiazem. ... Image File history File links Diltiazem. ... The structural formula of a chemical compound is a graphical representation of the molecular structure showing how the atoms are arranged. ... Diltiazem is a member of the group of drugs known as Benzothiapines , which are a class of calcium channel blockers, used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, and some types of arrhythmia. ...

• Diltiazem (Cardizem)

Diltiazem is a member of the group of drugs known as Benzothiapines , which are a class of calcium channel blockers, used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, and some types of arrhythmia. ...

Other

• Menthol (mint oil)

Menthol is a covalent organic compound made synthetically or obtained from peppermint or other mint oils. ... “Mint” redirects here. ... An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds from plants. ...

Other drugs with similar uses

Other classes of pharmaceutical agents that have overlapping effects as calcium channel blockers include ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, and nitrates. Captopril, the first ACE inhibitor ACE inhibitors, or inhibitors of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme, are a group of pharmaceuticals that are used primarily in treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure, in most cases as the drugs of first choice. ... Beta blockers (sometimes written as β-blockers) are a class of drugs used for various indications, but particularly for the management of cardiac arrhythmias and cardioprotection after myocardial infarction. ...

See also

• Voltage-dependent calcium channel

This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

External links

• MeSH Calcium+Channel+Blockers
• Official Adalat® (Nifedipine) site, Bayer

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... A section of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. ... Pyridinium cation of pyridine. ... Amlodipine (as besylate or malleate) is a long-acting calcium channel blocker used as an anti-hypertensive and in the treatment of angina. ... Felodipine is a calcium channel blocker (calcium antagonist), a drug used to control hypertension (high blood pressure). ... Isradipine is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine class. ... Lacidipine is a calcium channel blocker. ... Lercanidipine is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine class. ... Nicardipine hydrochloride (Cardene®) is a medication used to treat high blood pressure and angina. ... Nifedipine (brand name Adalat and Procardia) is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker. ... Nimodipine (marketed by Bayer as Nimotop®) is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker originally developed for the treatment of high blood pressure. ... Nisoldipine is a calcium channel blocker of the dihydropyridine class. ... Nitrendipine is a pyridine calcium channel blocker. ... Verapamil (brand names: Isoptin®, Verelan®, Calan®) is a medical drug that acts as an L-type calcium channel blocker. ... Diltiazem. ... Diltiazem is a member of the group of drugs known as Benzothiapines , which are a class of calcium channel blockers, used in the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, and some types of arrhythmia. ... In medicine, pulmonary hypertension (PH) is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery or lung vasculature, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion. ... A section of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. ... A section of the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. ... Prostacyclin is a member of the family of lipid molecules known as eicosanoids. ... Beraprost is a synthetic analogue of prostacyclin, under clinical trials for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. ... Prostacyclin is a member of the family of lipid molecules known as eicosanoids. ... iloprost, an inhalation solution, is sold under the name Ventavis® and is used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). ... Trepostinil is a synthetic analogue of prostacyclin, used to treat pulmonary hypertension. ... A endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) is a drug which blocks endothelin receptors. ... Ambrisentan is a drug being researched for use in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. ... Bosentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist important in the treatment of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). ... Sitaxsentan or sitaxsentan sodium (to be marketed as Thelin®) is a small molecule sodium salt that blocks the action of endothelin on the endothelin-A receptor selectively (by a factor of 6000 compared to the ERB), and is undergoing FDA approval for treating pulmonary hypertension. ... A phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, often shortened to PDE5 inhibitor, is a drug used to block the degradative action of phosphodiesterase type 5 on cyclic GMP in the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels supplying the corpus cavernosum of the penis. ... Sildenafil citrate, sold under the names Viagra, Revatio and generically under various other names, is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), developed by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. ... Tadalafil is a drug used to treat male erectile dysfunction (impotence). ... This illustration shows where some types of diuretics act, and what they do. ... Digoxin (INN) (IPA: ) is a purified cardiac glycoside extracted from the foxglove plant, Digitalis lanata. ... Oxygen first aid kit showing a demand valve and a constant flow mask Oxygen therapy is the administration of oxygen as a therapeutic modality. ... Warfarin (also known under the brand names of Coumadin, Jantoven, Marevan, and Waran) is an anticoagulant medication that is administered orally or, very rarely, by injection. ...