Doxazosin GITS versus standard doxazosin in mild to moderate hypertension

Time to re-appraise the role of alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists in the management of hypertension?

“…Studies of prazosin, terazosin, alfuzosin and doxazosin have reported similar BP-lowering efficacy to other therapies when used as monotherapy [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Following 12 weeks of treatment, standard-release formulations of both prazosin and doxazosin decreased BP in approximately 70% of patients with hypertension, with no difference between treatments [1].…”

“…In a 12-week placebo-controlled trial, the Doxazosin Investigators' Study Group found that 68 and 64% of patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension achieved BP targets with standard (1-8 mg per day) and GITS (4-8 mg per day) formulations of doxazosin, respectively, compared with 36% in the placebo group [6]. Other trials of doxazosin monotherapy (both standard and GITS formulations) have demonstrated significant BP reductions with a favourable safety profile [7,8] and doxazosin has been shown to be effective and well tolerated as add-on therapy in uncontrolled hypertension [9].…”

“…In TOMHS, doxazosin compared favourably with other antihypertensive drugs with regard to erectile dysfunction in men; the incidence decreased by 6% compared with a 10% increase among those randomized to chlorthalidone [35]. Doxazosin GITS is also well tolerated [7,8,26] with fewer discontinuations than with the standard formulation or placebo [6].…”

“…Selective alpha-1 adrenoceptor antagonists (alpha-blockers) effectively lower blood pressure (BP) when used either as monotherapy or in combination with other drugs, including diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. In addition, they have been shown to have favourable effects on the metabolic profiles of patients with hypertension [3,4,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19].…”

Doxazosin selectively potentiates contraction to serotonin via 5-HT2A receptors in longitudinal muscle strips of the rabbit gastric body

“…Doxazosin is a selective long-acting ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor antagonist that is currently being used in the treatment of hypertension to relax the constriction of blood vessels (Fulton et al 1995;Chung et al 1999;Calvo et al 2005;Eiras et al 2006). Because ␣ 1 -adrenoceptors that are located in the lower urinary tract play a major role in regulation of urination, selective ␣ 1 -adrenoceptor antagonists, including doxazosin, are used as a first-line therapy for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (Fitzpatrick and Desgrandchamps 2005).…”