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Objective: To evaluate the incidence of discontinuation of and changes in treatment after newly prescribed courses of antihypertensive drugs of the four primary therapeutic classes: beta blocker, calcium channel blocker, and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor., Design: A retrospective analysis of patients on an automated database of 1.2 million patients was conducted on visits between 1 October 1992 and 30 September 1993., Setting: General practices in the United Kingdom., Subjects: 37,643 patients with hypertension receiving a relevant drug in the time period were identified. A new course of treatment in at least one of the four therapeutic classes, defined as a drug not prescribed in the previous four months, was observed in 10,222 patients aged > or = 40 years., Main Outcome Measures: Patients changing to other treatment or discontinuing after initiating a new course of treatment, defined as the absence of a refill prescription for the new drug or another in its category within a six month observation period., Results: Changes in or discontinuation of treatment were frequently observed, and by month six continuation rates ranged between 40% to 50% for all four classes of drugs., Conclusion: Low rates of continuation with a newly prescribed antihypertensive drug exist regardless of which drug is prescribed.