ArticleLouis WJ, Vajda FJ, McNeil JJ, Doyle AE, Jarrott B.
Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol Suppl. 1978;4:17-22.
1. The combined use of alpha-methyldopa and L-alpha-methyldopa hydrazine (a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor) has been studied, in a double-blind cross-over comparison, with alpha-methyldopa and L-alpha-methyldopa hydrazine placebo in the treatment of eight patients with essential hypertension. 2. L-alpha-methyldopa hydrazine did not enhance the antihypertensive effect of alpha-methyldopa. This suggests that because methyldopa can inhibit its own decarboxylation, peripheral decarboxylation is not an important metabolic pathway for methyldopa and elevated brain levels of methyldopa do not necessarily result in elevated brain levels of methyldopamine.