[Guanfacine versus alpha-methyldopa in benign essential hypertension. An ambulatory group study]

Alpha-methyldopa and guanfacine, both of which are predominantly centrally acting antihypertensives, were compared in a double-blind randomized trial involving seven practising physicians and a total of 78 patients. The whole trial lasted one year, with individual treatment periods of between 5 and 14 weeks. The reduction achieved in mean systolic and also diastolic blood pressure did not differ significantly between the two groups; nor was there any significant difference in responder or nonresponder rates. Blood pressure was normalized in approximately 80% of the patients in both groups. The incidence of side effects was kept down by starting treatment with a low dose and increasing it gradually. The average dose at the end of the trial was 2.6 mg daily for the guanfacine patients and 750 mg daily for those given alphamethyldopa.