Abstract.Effective blood pressure treatment has only been available during the last 20‐25 years. Most antihypertensive drugs employed for other hypertensive conditions have also been used in hypertensive states of pregnancy. In this survey, most of the drugs already in use and some new ones are discussed. No special emphasis is placed on the use of drugs in emergency situations. As β‐adrenoceptor blocking drugs are widely used nowadays, the principal differences between some β‐blockers are discussed in detail. A discussion of future requirements in order to get a better picture of the value of antihypertensive drugs completes this