Oral glucose tolerance and insulin response after one week's clonidine treatment in hypertensive patients

Acute clonidine administration is known to induce a significant rise in plasma glucose in man. In order to evaluate the possible effect of prolonged drug treatment on glucose metabolism, paired OGTTs were performed in 12 hypertensive patients (6 with normal and 6 with abnormal glucose tolerance) in basal conditions and following 1-week's administration of clonidine (0.15 mg every 8 h). Basal plasma glucose and serum insulin concentration as well as glucose tolerance and insulin response to oral glucose did not change in either group after treatment. Although the mechanism(s) mediating the transient hyperglycemic action of clonidine are not fully understood, the present findings indicate that this drug does not exert diabetogenic effects during chronic treatment, and suggest that homeostatic mechanisms may counteract the acute effect of clonidine on glucose metabolism.