Assessment of the interaction between mianserin and centrally-acting antihypertensive drugs

1 The interaction between mianserin and centrally-acting antihypertensive drugs was evaluated in normal volunteers and in patients with essential hypertension receiving either clonidine or methyldopa. 2 The administration of the first dose of 20 mg mianserin to the normal volunteers was associated with a significant sedative effect and transient postural hypotension. 3 In the normal volunteers, the blood pressure responses to a single oral dose of 300 micrograms clonidine were not modified by pretreatment with mianserin. The bradycardia associated with clonidine alone, however, was significantly attenuated. 4 In the patient study, no significant changes in blood pressure control were observed, either after the first dose of 30 mg mianserin or after one and two weeks' continued treatment with mianserin. 5 There is no evidence from these studies that the addition of mianserin therapy results in a clinically significant impairment of the antihypertensive effects of clonidine or methyldopa.