Abstract-NSAIDs are known to attenuate the effects of some antihypertensive medications. It is not known whether the new class of angiotensin II receptor antagonists is similarly affected. We conducted a multicenter study assessing the effect of indomethacin on the antihypertensive effects of losartan and captopril. After 4 weeks of placebo washout, hypertensive patients received 6 weeks of active antihypertensive therapy with either 50 mg losartan once daily (nϭ111) or 25 mg captopril twice daily for 1 week, which was increased to 50 mg twice daily for 5 weeks (nϭ105). This was followed by 1 week of concomitant therapy with indomethacin (75 mg daily). The primary outcome measure was the change in mean 24-hour ambulatory diastolic blood pressure after the addition of indomethacin. Key Words: hypertension, essential Ⅲ indomethacin Ⅲ losartan Ⅲ captopril Ⅲ blood pressure N onsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most common classes of medications prescribed in the United States. The availability of over-thecounter formulations has increased their use further, particularly among the elderly. 1 Given the high prevalence of hypertension, it is likely that concomitant use of NSAIDs and antihypertensive medication will occur in the same patient.There are numerous studies and meta-analyses that have focused on the adverse effects of NSAID medications on blood pressure and the blunting of the efficacy of antihypertensive medications. Most classes of antihypertensive drugs appear to be affected; these include diuretics, 2 -blockers, 2,3 and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs). 4 -7 The most widely studied of the NSAID medications is indomethacin, which has been shown to increase mean blood pressure by as much as 5 mm Hg in treated hypertensive patients. 8 The clinical relevance of these blood pressure changes can be tied to the observation that NSAID use in the elderly is associated with an increased likelihood of the subsequent initiation of antihypertensive therapy. 9 In part, the increase in blood pressure resulting from NSAID administration may be nonspecific (ie, related to fluid retention), and these effects may affect antihypertensive medications equally. However, given the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by NSAIDs, there is reason to believe that ACEIs may be particularly affected. ACEIs prevent the breakdown of bradykinin, which has been shown to increase prostaglandin synthesis. 10 Not unexpectedly, concomitant administration of indomethacin in captopril-treated patients reversed 40% of the antihypertensive effect in hypertensive patients 4,5 and attenuated the favorable hemodynamic effects in patients with congestive heart failure. 7 The new class of antihypertensive agents, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, directly opposes the interaction of angiotensin II with its cell surface receptor. Angiotensin II receptor antagonists reduce blood pressure to a degree similar to that for most other classes of antihypertensive medications. However, in contrast to ACEI, there is ...