Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Sep 2.
Published in final edited form as: Drugs. 2014 Mar;74(3):283–296. doi: 10.1007/s40265-014-0187-7

Table 4.

Drug therapy for the treatment of very high blood pressure in pregnancy

Author Study design Study group Drugs compared Side effects*
Duley L
et al,
Cochrane
review
[46]		 Review of drugs
used in
pregnancy for
the treatment of
very high blood
pressure, DBP ≥
105 mmHg
and/or SBP 160
mmHg		 35 trials
identified,
3573 women		 labetalol vs. hydralazine;
labetalol vs. CCBs;
labetalol vs. methyldopa;
labetalol vs. diazoxide;
hydralazine vs. CCBs;
hydralazine vs. diazoxide;
hydralazine vs. prostacyclin;
hydralazine vs. ketanserin;
hydralazine vs. urapidil;
methyldopa vs. atenolol;
nifedipine vs. prazosin;
nifedipine vs. chlorpromazine;
nitrates vs. MgSO4;
nimodipine vs. MgSO4;
urapidil vs. CCBs		 Hydralazine
headache,
flushing, light
headedness,
nausea and
palpitations
Labetalol
flushing, light
headedness,
palpitations
and scalp
tingling
Nifedipine
flushing,
nausea,
vomiting
Urapidil
nausea and
tinnitus
MgSO4
flushing
Methyldopa
somnolence.
*

Few trials provided specific side effects. CCBs, calcium channel blockers; vs., versus; MgSO4, magnesium sulphate