Low, Single Daily Doses of Guanfacine in the Ambulatory Treatment of Hypertension

Low dose treatment with guanfacine was tested in three open‐field national studies (Belgium, France, West Germany) under general practice conditions. Of 11,270 patients originally selected, 4,627 were evaluated after 6 weeks, 1,234 after 8 weeks and 3,504 after 12 weeks of treatment. The patients studied suffered from various forms of hypertension, classified from mild to severe. The patients' ages ranged from 16 to 93 years (mean 60 ± 12), the male/female ratio being 45: 55. With daily doses of 1 mg and 2 mg, 85–92% of the patients were adequately controlled; in 58–70% the blood pressure was normalised. The mean reduction of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 16%. The heart rate did not show any significant change. The most common side effects were dryness of the mouth (14–22% of all patients treated), drowsiness (in 5–9%), tiredness (in 3–12%) and dizziness (4–9.4%). The results indicate that 1–2 mg guanfacine given once daily control BP in more than 80% of patients with mild to moderate hypertension when given as monotherapy and in moderate to severe hypertension when given in combination with a diuretic. Guanfacine can be used safely in hypertensive patients with heart failure, renal failure, diabetes mellitus or coronary heart disease.