Combined Beta-Adrenergic and Calcium-Entry Blockade in Angina Pectoris

THE combination of beta-adrenergic-blocking and calcium-entry–blocking drugs has achieved widespread popularity in the care of patients with angina pectoris. Combined therapy is frequently used to decrease the number and severity of anginal attacks in patients who remain symptomatic during treatment with a single agent. Low doses of two drugs are commonly prescribed instead of high doses of one agent, in the expectation that symptoms will be similarly controlled, but with fewer side effects. Antianginal drugs may also be combined in patients without symptoms in an effort to achieve maximal suppression of myocardial ischemia, in the hope that such suppression will…