Table 2.

Suggested dose titration of antihypertensive therapy for nonurgent control of hypertension in pregnancy

	Lowa	Dosage (mg)
		If BP not controlled		Medium	If BP not controlled on medium dosage	Highb		Maximum
First line		Proceed to medium dose of same low-dose medication			Consider adding another low-dose medication rather than going to a high dose of the same medication, for a maximum of 3 medications
Labetalol	100 TID–QID			200 TID–QID		300 TID–QID		1200/d
Nifedipine (PA or MR)	10 BID–TID			20 BID–TID		30 BID–TID		120/d
Nifedipine (XL or LA)	30 OD			30 BID or 60 OD		30 QAM and 60 QPM		120/d
Methyldopa	250 TID–QID			500 TID–QID		750 TID		2500/d

BID, twice per day; BP, blood pressure; LA, long acting; MR, modified release; PA, prolonged action; QAM, every morning; QID, 4 times per day; QPM, every evening; TID, 3 times per day; XL, extended release.

Magee. Personalized care of chronic hypertension. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2022.

^aStarting doses are higher than generally recommended for adults given more rapid clearance in pregnancy

^bWhen a medication is at high (or maximum) dose, consider using a different medication to treat any severe hypertension that may develop.

Adapted from Magee et al.⁵⁵