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 .
Patient Acceptance of Guanethidine as Therapy for Mild to Moderate Hypertension: A Comparison with Reserpine
The relative benefits and risks of reserpine and guanethidine were compared in patients with thiazide-treated mild to moderate hypertension ( diastolic pressure 95–115 mm Hg ) . Fortynine ambulant patients ( 30 men , 19 women ) were treated throughout the study with hydrochlorothiazide , 50 mg/day . In this double blind crossover study each drug was added in grade d increments until a predetermined therapeutic response was obtained , blood pressure measurements and side effect scores were evaluated biweekly . Major conclusions of the study were : 1 ) guanethidine , as well as reserpine , will reduce mild to moderate blood pressures to normal ; 2 ) in most cases , side effects which did occur while taking guanethidine or reserpine were well tolerated and neither drug was clearly superior . Side effects associated with larger doses of guanethidine employed in severe hypertension were absent or only slightly bothersome . Thus , guanethidine appears to have a good benefit-to-risk ratio in the therapy of mild to moderate hypertension and offers a number of advantages over drugs commonly used in this syndrome . This study refutes the common belief that guanethidine must be reserved only for the treatment of more severe degrees of hypertension
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 .