Clonidine (Catapres) is a new drug for the treatment of hypertension which has an uncertain mode of action. Sixty-one patients have been treated with Clonidine for up to 21 months. Side-effects of treatment have been troublesome and in 20 per cent of patients have necessitated discontinuing therapy. Sedation was the most frequent and troublesome side-effect. Dryness of the mouth was a less troublesome symptom. In only 48 per cent of patients continuing Clonidine was good blood pressure control achieved and maintained. In a comparable group of patients treated with Methyl Dopa only 7 per cent had to discontinue therapy because of side-effects of the drug, and effective control was achieved in 70 per cent of the remainder. Clonidine is strikingly devoid of postural and exercise hypotensive effects, and produces a uniform control of blood pressure throughout the day. It has been successfully combined with Methyl Dopa and Bethanidine. Despite its troublesome side-effects, these attributes may make it a satisfactory drug for the treatment of patients in whom uniform control is difficult.

Gold compounds have been successfully used for over 50 years in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, but their mechanism of action is unknown. The main disadvantage is the frequent occurrence of side effects which often necessitate discontinuation of therapy. Recently, there have been reports of reduction in immunoglobulin levels in patients on gold treatment; we report a further case of hypoglobulinaemia associated with gold therapy and recommend that immunoglobulins be monitored prior to and during treatment.