Table 2.
Effectiveness, Tolerability, and Medication Possession Ratio for Clonidine or Prazosin Therapy
| Clonidine, No. (%) (n = 42) | Prazosin, No. (%) (n = 60) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| 6 months | 2 years | 6 months | 2 years | |
|
| ||||
| Initial effectiveness | ||||
| Documented improvementa in symptoms within 6 mo | 24 (57) | — | 32 (53) | — |
|
| ||||
| Long-term effectiveness | ||||
| Patients continuing study medication | 23 (55) | 8 (19) | 36 (60) | 18 (30) |
|
| ||||
| Medication possession ratioa | ||||
| ≥ 80% | 10/21 (48) | 3/8 (38) | 20/31 (65) | 9/15 (60) |
| 50%–79% | 6/21 (29) | 5/8 (63) | 5/31 (16) | 3/15 (20) |
| < 50% | 5/21 (24) | 0 | 6/31 (19) | 3/15 (20) |
|
| ||||
| Clonidine (n = 34) | Prazosin (n = 42) | |||
|
| ||||
| Reported reasons for discontinuationb | ||||
|
| ||||
| Ineffective/treatment failure | 13 (38) | 6 (14) | ||
| Adverse effects, all | 13 (38) | 13 (31) | ||
| Sedation | 4 (12) | 3 (7) | ||
| Dizziness/hypotension | 3 (9) | 3 (7) | ||
| Symptoms worsened on drug | 4 (12) | 6 (14) | ||
| Symptoms resolved/no need | 1 (3) | 3 (7) | ||
| Other reason specified | 0 (0) | 4 (10) | ||
| Reason not specified | 8 (24) | 15 (36) | ||
a
Patients who remained within the VA Portland Health Care System service area who reached 6 months and/or 2 years of therapy.
b
All patients who did not continue therapy for 2 years.