Efficacy of atomoxetine versus midodrine for the treatment of orthostatic hypotension in autonomic failure.

ABSTRACT: The clinical presentation of autonomic failure is orthostatic hypotension. Severely affected patients require pharmacological treatment to prevent presyncopal symptoms or frank syncope. We previously reported in a proof of concept study that pediatric doses of the norepinephrine transporter blockade, atomoxetine, increases blood pressure in autonomic failure patients with residual sympathetic activity compared with placebo. Given that the sympathetic nervous system is maximally activated in the upright position, we hypothesized that atomoxetine would be superior to midodrine, a direct vasoconstrictor, in improving upright blood pressure and orthostatic hypotension-related symptoms. To test this hypothesis, we compared the effect of acute atomoxetine versus midodrine on upright systolic blo

SUBMITTER: Ramirez CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4231172 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature