The effects of pseudoephedrine on blood pressure in patients with controlled, uncomplicated hypertension: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Pseudoephedrine is frequently used as a decongestant. Because of concern about the safety of pseudoephedrine in hypertensive patients, a clinical trial was conducted to determine whether blood pressure control was actually affected by this drug in a selected group of patients with hypertension. Twenty-nine patients with controlled, uncomplicated hypertension, who received drug therapy and ranged in age from 25 to 50 years, were randomized to a treatment or a control group. Subjects took either 60 mg of pseudoephedrine or placebo capsules four times a day for 3 days. From 0800 hours until 2200 hours each day, the subjects obtained hourly blood pressure measurements using a portable sphygmomanometer. An analysis of variance with repeated measures was calculated to determine group differences for systolic and diastolic readings. No statistically or clinically significant differences were found. Therapeutic doses of pseudoephedrine did not adversely affect control of hypertension in these selected patients.