mg made up to volume with distilled water ph6 7 various amounts of diltiazem and bethanechol were added in the amounts shown in examples 4 and 6 to form various compositions for dose ranging studies composition white soft paraffin 50 g liquid paraffin 20 g cetomacrogol emulsifying wax 30 g cetosteryl alcohol 24 g and cetomacrogol 1000 6 g a base cream was formed by firstly separate mixing of the aqueous and non aqueous components of the cream weighed quantities of propylene glycol and a proportion of the preservative solution were placed in a beaker to which the weight quantity of carbomer powder was added using an impeller type mixer to form a colloidal suspension of the carbomer thereafter the weighed quantity of dmso was added and rapid stirring continued at room temperature until a translucent uniform gel had been formed in the meantime the weighed quantities of white soft paraffin and the cetamacrogol emulsifying ointment were placed in a separate beaker heated to melting point and gently stirred to give a uniform base the drug is then added to the remainder of the preservative solution which in turn was then added to the gel and whilst vigorously stirring the uniform base above was added to form a cream the carbomer acted as a dual neutralisation agent and primary emulsifier of the oil and aqueous phases to form the uniform cream base a bethanechol cream composition was made up as above but using 0 5 g of bethanechol 0 1 w w instead of diltiazem ten volunteers were used in a double blind study to determine the concentration of diltiazem cream of example 1 which most effectively lowers resting.