Comparison of indoramin and methyldopa in hypertension.

A comparison of indoramin and methyldopa in the treatment of mild and moderate essential hypertension in 31 White middle-aged patients was made by means of a double-blind crossover trial. Equally satisfactory control of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, in the standing and supine positions, was achieved by both drugs. With a mean dose of 158 +/- 9 mg per day of indoramin the average fall in lying and standing blood pressures was 16/6 and 16/8 mmHg respectively. Equivalent values for methyldopa, with a mean dose of 1 540 +/- 90 mg per day, were 21/8 and 16/13 mmHg. Values for the two drugs are not significantly different. Also, there were no significant differences between the two drugs in their effect on the heart rate or in the incidence of side-effects.