There is a decrease in total adenine nucleotides, cyclic AMP (cAMP), ATP/total ADP, and phosphocreatine (PCr)/creatine (Cr) both in situ and in the perfused heart in the heart failure stage of the cardiomyopathic Syrian hamster. There were decreases in developed pressure, dP/dt, and O2 consumption associated with the decrease in total adenine nucleotides and cAMP. Cardiomyopathic Syrian hamsters (180-240 days old) with congestive heart failure were given water with the calcium entry blocker, verapamil, as an additive 2 mo before death. In the cardiomyopathic group given verapamil the adenine nucleotides, cAMP, and high-energy phosphates were preserved and cardiac performance was not significantly different from that of the verapamil-treated healthy hamsters at the time of death. Pretreatment of cardiomyopathic animals with verapamil (6.6 mg verapamil/ml water consumed by drinking) resulted in significantly higher ATP/total ADP and PCr/Cr compared with nontreated cardiomyopathic hamsters. This is the first report demonstrating that a calcium entry blocker may improve cardiac performance and preserve total adenine nucleotides during the heart failure stage of the cardiomyopathic hamster.