INTERACTION OF STEROIDS AND NONSTEROIDAL ANTIINFLAMMATORY (NSAI) DRUGS WITH ANTIHYPERTENSIVE TREATMENT

Patients receiving local steroid treatment for the painful shoulder syndrome may develop hypertension when short acting aqueous preaparations are given necessitating frequent applications. Depot preparations seem to be devoid of such side effects. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents may aggravate hypertension when given over longer periods of time. Patients treated with diuretics and/or beta-adrenoceptor antagonists are particularly prone to this side-effect of prolonged non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatment, while those receiving Ca-channel blockers or angiotensin converting enzyme blocking agents seem to be less inclined to the blood pressure increasing effect of these drugs, unless diuretics are also used.