A new study from the University of Oxford suggests that some older adults who take medication for high blood pressure may be able to safely reduce their treatment without losing control of their blood pressure.
This could be helpful news for older people who often take many different medications and may benefit from a simpler routine.
The study focused on adults aged 80 and older who were already being treated for high blood pressure. Most of them were taking two types of blood pressure medicine. The researchers wanted to find out if stopping one of these drugs would affect how well their blood pressure stayed under control or if it would cause serious health problems.
In total, 569 people took part in the study. They were split into two groups. One group, with 282 people, had one of their blood pressure medications removed. The second group, with 287 people, continued with their usual treatment.
After 12 weeks, the researchers checked everyone’s blood pressure and looked at any serious health issues. The results were promising.
In the group that had one medicine removed, 86.4% still had their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading) under 150 mm Hg. In the group that stayed on all medications, 87.7% kept their blood pressure below that number.
The average difference in systolic blood pressure between the two groups was small—just 3.4 mm Hg higher in the group that stopped one medication. This shows that, for many people, removing one medication didn’t make a big difference in blood pressure control.
When it came to safety, a few more people in the medication reduction group had serious health problems (12 people) compared to the usual care group (seven people). However, the overall number of serious events was low. Most people who reduced their medication were able to stick with the change throughout the 12 weeks.
These findings suggest that some older adults may be able to take fewer blood pressure medicines without losing the benefits of treatment. This might also lower the chances of side effects, especially for people already taking several medications for other health conditions.
However, the researchers stressed that any changes to medication should always be done with the help of a doctor. Not all patients are good candidates for reducing their medicine, and blood pressure needs to be carefully watched after any changes.
The study was led by Dr. James P. Sheppard and was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). It supports the idea that personal treatment plans can help older adults stay healthy without taking more medicine than they really need.
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 health information, please see recent studies about added sugar in your diet linked to higher blood pressure, and results showing vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
