Scientists from Harvard have discovered something surprising: almost 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure may be taking other medications that unknowingly make their blood pressure worse.
This means that many people who are trying to control their blood pressure could be making it harder without even knowing it.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a serious health condition. If not treated properly, it can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney problems, and vision loss. These problems happen because high blood pressure can damage blood vessels over time.
Doctors usually tell people to make healthy lifestyle changes—like eating less salt, losing weight, and exercising—to help lower blood pressure. Many people also take medicine to help keep their blood pressure under control.
But what some people don’t realize is that certain medications they take for other health issues may actually raise their blood pressure. This can make it harder for their main treatment to work.
The study was led by Dr. Timothy Anderson. His team looked at data from a large U.S. survey called the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES. The data came from people who took part between 2009 and 2018.
The researchers focused on a few types of medications that are known to raise blood pressure. These included:
– Antidepressants, which are used to treat depression and anxiety.
– NSAIDs, which are pain relievers like ibuprofen.
– Steroids, used for asthma or arthritis.
– Hormonal medicines like birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy.
– Decongestants, which are found in cold medications.
– Weight-loss drugs.
They found that 18.5% of adults with high blood pressure were taking at least one of these types of medications. People taking these drugs were more likely to have uncontrolled blood pressure, especially if they weren’t also on blood pressure-lowering medicine. And if they were, they often needed stronger doses.
This research shows how important it is for people with high blood pressure to talk to their doctors about all the medicines they are using—even ones for unrelated conditions. When a person sees several doctors, it’s easy for one doctor not to know about all the drugs the patient is taking. This can lead to problems when medications work against each other.
The good news is that there are often other options. For example, a person taking a pain reliever that raises blood pressure might be able to switch to a different medicine that does not have that effect. The same is true for depression, asthma, and other conditions.
This study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, reminds us that managing high blood pressure isn’t just about taking one kind of pill. It’s about understanding how all your medications work together. Regular check-ins with your doctor and going over your full list of medicines can help prevent problems before they start.
If you have high blood pressure, ask your doctor to go over your medications with you. This simple step could help protect you from serious health problems and keep your blood pressure at a safer level.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies that early time-restricted eating could help improve blood pressure, and natural coconut sugar could help reduce blood pressure and artery stiffness.
For more information about blood pressure, please see recent studies about How to eat your way to healthy blood pressure and results showing that Modified traditional Chinese cuisine can lower blood pressure.
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