Adverse drug effects, compliance, and initial doses of antihypertensive drugs recommended by the Joint National Committee vs the Physicians' Desk Reference
Js. Cohen, Adverse drug effects, compliance, and initial doses of antihypertensive drugs recommended by the Joint National Committee vs the Physicians' Desk Reference, ARCH IN MED, 161(6), 2001, pp. 880-885
Citations number
47
Categorie Soggetti
General & Internal Medicine","Medical Research General Topics
Background: Compliance problems are common causes of the inadequate treatme
nt of hypertension, with 16% to 50% of patients quitting treatment within 1
year. Dose-related adverse drug events (ADEs) frequently cause compliance
problems, and many ADEs occur with the initial doses of antihypertensive dr
ugs. Thus, it is an established tenet to initiate antihypertensive therapy
at low doses to avoid ADEs that diminish patients' quality of life and redu
ce compliance. However, what are the lowest effective doses of antihyperten
sive drugs?
Objective: To compare the initial doses recommended in the Physicians' Desk
Reference (PDR) with those recommended by the Sixth Report of the Joint Na
tional Committee on the Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood
Pressure (JNC VI).
Methods: Review of the latest JNC VI report (1997) and the 1999 and 2000 ed
itions of the PDR and the medical literature.
Results: The INC VI recommends substantially lower initial doses for 23 (58
%) of 40 drugs, compared with the PDR. In addition, for 37 (82%) of 45 drug
s, PDR guidelines do not suggest lower initial doses for old or frail patie
nts than for younger adults.
Conclusions: Although the PDR is the drug reference most used by physicians
, it does not reflect the lowest initial doses that are recommended by the
JNC VI for many of the most prescribed antihypertensive drugs. Because avoi
dance of ADEs is essential to maintaining compliance with antihypertensive
therapy, and because many antihypertensive ADEs are dose related, physician
s must know the very lowest, effective, least ADE-prone doses. Patients and
physicians would benefit by establishing mechanisms to make this informati
on readily available to all practicing physicians.