Some side-effects of alpha-methyldopa.

Three different regimens of drug treatment for hypertension were compared with regard to the development of undesirable side-effects in a group of 53 patients attending a hypertension clinic. The combination of alpha-methyldopa and chlorthalidone produced the highest incidence of side-effects. Weakness and impotence were most frequently encountered. In contrast, the combination of chlorthalidone, hydralazine and propranolol, and chlorthalidone alone, produced fewer side-effects. It is recommended that alpha-methyldopa should not be a first choice in the treatment of hypertension.