Effect on heart rate over 24 hours of pindolol administered for 14 days

Abstract

The effect on heart rate of pindolol 5, 15 and 30 mg/day, a beta-adrenoreceptor blocker possessing intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, administered to 8 healthy volunteers for 14 days was studied. Heart rate was continuously recorded over 24 h during placebo treatment before each sequence, every 2 days during treatment, and then on the 15th, 17th and 18th days. Pindolol in the three doses used had no significant effect on mean heart rate over 24 h. It tended to lower mean diurnal heart rate non-significantly between noon and 6 p.m. Pindolol raised nocturnal heart rate between midnight and 6 a.m. to a comparable extent at all the doses used. Sympathetic tone is at its lowest during that period, which makes it possible to detect the intrinsic sympathomimetic activity of pindolol. After cessation of treatment, a rebound effect was observed, cardioacceleration being most marked after 30 mg/day.

Hemodynamic effects of pindolol and atenolol at rest and during isometric exercise: A noninvasive study with healthy volunteers

“…Its effect on plasma renin activity is minimal, and it causes a reduction in the plasma norepinephrine level [2]. In states of minimal adrenergic tone, e.g., during the night, pindolol may even cause an elevation in the resting heart rate [16]. Despite its strong ISA, pindolol has been documented to be an effective antianginal [7] and antihypertensive [3,4,8,14] drug.…”