A dose of reserpine 0.5 mg/day or greater achieved the SBP effects .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Reserpine is effective in reducing SBP roughly to the same degree as other first-line antihypertensive drugs .
BACKGROUND Many antihypertensive agents exist today for the treatment of primary hypertension ( systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg , or both ) .
R and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) have been carried out to investigate the evidence for these agents .
There is , for example , strong RCT evidence that thiazides reduce mortality and morbidity .
Some of those trials used reserpine as a second-line therapy .
However , the dose-related blood pressure reduction with this agent is not known .
OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this review was to quantify the dose-related efficacy of reserpine versus placebo or no treatment in reducing systolic blood pressure ( SBP ) or diastolic blood pressure ( DBP ) , or both .
We also aim ed to evaluate the dose-related effects of reserpine  on mean arterial blood pressure ( MAP ) and heart rate ( HR ) , as well as the dose-related effects on withdrawals due to adverse events .
Treatment of hypertension in the elderly: I. Blood pressure and clinical changes. Results of a Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study.
We compared the efficacy and adverse effects of antihypertensive drug regimens in 690 men past age 60 with diastolic blood pressure 90 - 114 mm Hg and systolic blood pressure less than 240 mm Hg . They received either a low ( 25 - 50 mg ) or high ( 50 - 100 mg ) dose of hydrochlorothiazide daily . Of 644 patients who completed the hydrochlorothiazide titration , 375 ( 58.2 % ) were responders ( diastolic blood pressure less than 90 and less than or equal to 5 mm Hg below baseline ) and 92.8 % of these completed a 6-month maintenance period . Blood pressure was reduced from 157.6/98.5 mm Hg by 18.3/9.5 mm Hg with low dose hydrochlorothiazide and by 20.4/9.6 mm Hg with high dose hydrochlorothiazide ; more patients achieved goal blood pressure with the high dose . Whites and blacks responded equally . Serum potassium less than 3.5 mmol/l occurred in 104 of 321 ( 32.3 % ) of the high dose versus 62 of 333 ( 18.6 % ) of the low dose hydrochlorothiazide patients . The 269 nonresponders to hydrochlorothiazide were r and omly assigned in a double-blind study to receive hydralazine , methyldopa , metoprolol , or reserpine in addition to hydrochlorothiazide ; 79.2 % responded to the addition of the second drug and 87.3 % of these completed a 6-month maintenance phase . Overall , there were no significant efficacy differences among the step 2 regimens . We conclude that the lower dose of hydrochlorothiazide was nearly as effective as the higher dose , and the addition of a second drug was effective and generally well tolerated in elderly patients
A dose of reserpine 0.5 mg/day or greater achieved the SBP effects .
AUTHORS ' CONCLUSIONS Reserpine is effective in reducing SBP roughly to the same degree as other first-line antihypertensive drugs .
BACKGROUND Many antihypertensive agents exist today for the treatment of primary hypertension ( systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg , or both ) .
R and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) have been carried out to investigate the evidence for these agents .
There is , for example , strong RCT evidence that thiazides reduce mortality and morbidity .
Some of those trials used reserpine as a second-line therapy .
However , the dose-related blood pressure reduction with this agent is not known .
OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this review was to quantify the dose-related efficacy of reserpine versus placebo or no treatment in reducing systolic blood pressure ( SBP ) or diastolic blood pressure ( DBP ) , or both .
We also aim ed to evaluate the dose-related effects of reserpine  on mean arterial blood pressure ( MAP ) and heart rate ( HR ) , as well as the dose-related effects on withdrawals due to adverse events .