Long-term effectiveness of indapamide in hypertension: neural, renin and metabolic responses.

Indapamide conferred effective blood pressure control over the six-month period of study. Blood sugar was elevated slightly in some patients. Hypokalemia occurred commonly within four to six weeks of initiating therapy and was corrected with oral potassium supplementation. There were no changes in cholesterol or triglyceride. There was an increase in plasma renin activity, probably diuretic induced. The antihypertensive efficacy and the low side effect profile may both be related in part to the observed net reduction in neural tone.