Psychological effects of nicardipine and propranolol on hypertensive patients.

The psychological effects of nicardipine and propranolol were assessed in a group of 30 hypertensive patients who were randomly allocated to treatment with one or other drug., Baseline psychiatric and cognitive assessments were performed after a 4 week placebo washout phase and were repeated after 12 weeks of active drug treatment., Impairments were found in both treatment groups on the Complex Figure Test, which assesses both constructional abilities and the ability to organise complex data. The propranolol group showed a significant increase in performance in the Digit Symbol Substitution Test; this was not seen in the nicardipine group. The nicardipine group reported a decreased sense of proficiency as assessed by a visual analogue scale., In neither treatment group was there detectable impairment in psychiatric well-being or ability to fulfil normal social roles., The interpretation and implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]