[Is Letigen contraindicated in hypertension? A double-blind, placebo controlled multipractice study of Letigen...

The aim of this study was to study how the slimming drug, Letigen, containing ephedrine (E) 20 mg and caffeine (C) 200 mg (E + C) affects blood pressure in normotensive and hypertensive patients treated with adrenergic beta-receptor blocking drugs and/or other antihypertensive agents, during a period of six weeks. We followed 136 patients in a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled study of five parallel groups of overweight patients from general practices. The systolic blood pressure was reduced significantly (5.5 mmHg) in the patients treated with antihypertensive agents other than betablockers, plus E + C. In normotensive patients treated with E + C the systolic and diastolic blood pressure declined significantly (4.4/3.9 mmHg). A mean loss of weight of 4 kg over six weeks was significant for all groups. This study does not support the assumption that E + C should cause rises in blood pressure in either normotensive or hypertensive obese patients. The antihypertensive effect of the betablockers was not reversed by E + C.