A recent study from Harvard reveals that nearly one in five people with high blood pressure (hypertension) may unknowingly be taking medications for other health conditions that actually raise their blood pressure further.
This unintended effect can make it harder to manage hypertension, which, if left untreated, increases the risk of serious health issues, including heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and vision problems. High blood pressure damages blood vessels, making these complications more likely over time.
To lower high blood pressure, doctors usually recommend a mix of lifestyle changes and, if needed, medications. These changes might include losing weight, reducing salt intake, and getting regular exercise.
However, what many people may not realize is that some medications prescribed for other conditions can counteract these efforts by causing blood pressure to go up.
The Harvard research team, led by Dr. Timothy Anderson, studied data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), covering the years 2009 to 2018. They focused on commonly used drugs known to raise blood pressure.
These include antidepressants, NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen), steroids, hormone medications, decongestants, and some weight-loss drugs.
The study revealed that 18.5% of people with high blood pressure were taking at least one of these blood pressure-raising drugs.
Those who did were also more likely to struggle with uncontrolled high blood pressure, especially if they weren’t on any blood pressure-lowering medications.
Even when people were taking blood pressure drugs, those also on other medications that raise blood pressure often required higher doses to achieve normal blood pressure levels.
The researchers emphasize that managing high blood pressure effectively may involve discussing all medications with a doctor, especially for patients seeing multiple doctors who might not have an up-to-date list of all medications being taken.
By checking which drugs might impact blood pressure, patients and doctors can work together to find alternative treatments or make adjustments to achieve better blood pressure control.
This study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, highlighting the importance of awareness and communication when it comes to managing high blood pressure effectively.
If you care about blood pressure, please read studies about how diets could help lower high blood pressure, and 3 grams of omega-3s a day keep high blood pressure at bay.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies about how tea and coffee influence your risk of high blood pressure, and results showing this olive oil could reduce blood pressure in healthy people.
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