Oxprenolol slow-release with cyclopenthiazide KCl in the treatment of essential hypertension. A multicentre general practice study.

In part I of this article we report on 89 hypertensive patients who underwent 9 months of treatment with oxprenolol HCl 160 mg in a slow-release formulation plus cyclopenthiazide 0.25 mg and potassium chloride 600 mg (Trasidrex; Ciba-Geigy). Blood pressures, both supine and standing, and pulse rates were consistently controlled by this regimen throughout the 9 months of treatment, regardless of the time of day at which these parameters were measured, i.e. morning or afternoon. Seventy-six patients completed the trial. The most common symptom or sign occurring during treatment was headache, the next most common being heartburn. No patient developed angina while on the regimen. Three patients discontinued the study owing to unwanted effects. This study represents a total of 28237 patient-days of treatment. In part II of the trial we studied the effects of a similar regiment in 67 patients for 1 year preceded by a 2-week wash-out period. Forty-six of the patients completed a full year's treatment. Statistically significant reductions in blood pressures and pulse rates occurred after commencement of active treatment and were maintained throughout the study period. Four patients withdrew from the study owing to adverse effects, 1 patient died of an acute myocardial infarction, and 1 patient was considered a treatment failure. This study represents 19858 patient-days of treatment.