Calcium Channel Blockers and Essential Tremor

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Abstract
Acute effects of two calcium blockers, nifedipine and verapamil, were investigated on the tremor activity of 8 patients with essential tremor and compared with those of propranolol and placebo. Following a single oral dose of 10 mg of nifedipine, tremor intensity of the patients was increased by 71.4 .+-. 22.6%. Nifedipine also enhanced physiological tremor in 6 healthy volunteers by 56.0 .+-. 21.9%. This effect of nifedipine was not correlated with the increase in heart rate or decrease in systemic blood pressure. Verapamil (80 mg) did not appreciably alter the patients'' tremor activity.