High blood pressure is a condition that a lot of people have to deal with. If you’re not careful, it can lead to scary stuff like heart attacks and strokes.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Nelson Wang at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, thinks they’ve found a better way to tackle it. They published their work on April 26 in a journal called JAMA Cardiology.
Normally, doctors give you one medication to lower your blood pressure.
Dr. Wang and his team wanted to see if a mix of different medications at low doses, what they call “low-dose combination” (LDC) medicines, could do a better job.
What the Study Found
To find out, they didn’t start from scratch. They looked at other studies where people either took this mix of medicines, one regular medicine, or a “fake” medicine called a placebo.
In all, they reviewed seven studies involving 1,918 patients. Some studies used a mix of three meds, and some used four.
Here’s the exciting part: people who took the mix of medicines saw a bigger drop in their blood pressure. This happened between four to twelve weeks after starting the medication.
Even more, a larger number of people taking the combo meds reached a healthy blood pressure level, compared to those on a single medication or the placebo.
In numbers, that’s 66 out of 100 people reaching a healthy blood pressure level with combo meds, compared to 46 out of 100 with a single medicine.
The placebo didn’t do much good; only 18 out of 100 people reached the healthy level.
In two long-term studies that lasted six to twelve months, the combo meds still beat out the single medication or normal treatment.
Some people felt dizzy after taking the combo meds, but they didn’t have other bad side effects and didn’t stop the treatment.
Moving Forward: What’s Next?
Dr. Wang’s team is excited about the promise these combo medicines show. They think it could help 70 out of 100 people reach a healthy blood pressure level.
But they don’t want to stop there; they plan to do more research to make the treatment even better and avoid side effects like dizziness.
A Note on Bias
It’s worth mentioning that some scientists involved in this study have financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.
Some even have patents, which means they could make money from this discovery. This is pretty standard for this kind of research, but it’s something to keep in mind.
If you’re concerned about high blood pressure, keep an eye out for more studies on this topic.
Some even suggest that things like black licorice could dangerously increase your blood pressure, while certain plant pigments may help lower it. The more you know, the better you can manage your health.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies that common painkiller can harm your blood pressure, and common high blood pressure drugs may actually raise blood pressure.
For more information about blood pressure control, please see recent studies about teas that may help reduce high blood pressure, and results showing this recommended high blood pressure drug may have dangerous side effects.
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