The effect of hydralazine on the pharmacokinetics of three different beta adrenoceptor antagonists: metoprolol, nadolol, and acebutolol

The effect of hydralazine on the pharmacokinetics of metoprolol, nadolol, and acebutolol has been studied by measuring drug concentrations in plasma, serum, and urine. Metoprolol is affected by hydralazine, the AUC and Cmax being significantly increased. The kinetics of acebutolol and its major metabolite, diacetolol, are unaffected. Poor absorption of the polar beta blocker, nadolol, does not allow a firm conclusion to be drawn regarding the effect of hydralazine. It is concluded that only beta blockers with a substantial first-pass loss are likely to be significantly affected by hydralazine.