Two hundred twenty-six patients with mild to moderate
hypertension were treated with
terazosin in an open, multicenter study to determine the
drug's long-term efficacy and safety. All patients had previously received
terazosin in a short-term study; 66 patients entered from later short-term studies and had experienced
a 7 mm Hg decrease in supine diastolic blood pressure in response to
terazosin.
Terazosin was administered once or twice daily either alone or in combination with a
diuretic and/or a beta blocker. Supine systolic and diastolic blood pressures were significantly decreased from baseline during time intervals ending at 90, 180, 360, and 720 days of long-term
therapy. No clinically significant trends were observed in pulse rate, clinical laboratory test results, physical examinations, or electrocardiograms. Patients had a tendency toward a slight
weight gain. The most common adverse experiences attributed to
terazosin monotherapy were
dizziness and
asthenia (9.7 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively). Adverse experiences were usually of mild or moderate severity. Of the 226 patients who underwent long-term
therapy, 29 (13 percent) withdrew because of adverse experiences, and three (1 percent) withdrew because of uncontrolled blood pressure. This study demonstrates that
terazosin is effective and safe for long-term treatment of
hypertension.