Table 3.
Common antihypertensive medications used in pregnancy.
| Urgent BP lowering | Outpatient BP control | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labetalol | Intravenous | 10–20 mg, then 20–80 mg every 10–30 min, maximum 300 mg OR 1–2 mg/min infusion |
Oral | 200–2400 mg/day, divided into two to three doses |
| Hydralazine | Intravenous | 5 mg, then 5–10 mg every 20–40 min, maximum 20 mg OR 0.5–10 mg/h infusion |
Not commonly used first-line | |
| Nifedipine | Oral Immediate release |
10–20 mg every 2–6 h*, maximum 180 mg/day *May repeat initial dose after 20 min if needed |
Oral Extended Release |
30–120 mg/day |
| Methyldopa | Not commonly used first-line | Oral | 500–3000 mg/day, divided into two to four doses | |