Hypertension: When and how to take the medication?

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Extract from the article: When to take blood pressure medication? In the morning, at noon or in the evening? According to a Spanish study, the timing of treatment has a considerable impact on its effectiveness.

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When to take blood pressure medication? In the morning, at noon or in the evening? According to a Spanish study, the timing of treatment has a considerable impact on its effectiveness.

In Togo, the prevalence rate of hypertension is 30.5%. Although there is no miracle drug, some treatments can normalise blood pressure at rest and during exercise. According to a study published in the « European Heart Journal », this treatment is most effective when taken in the evening, at bedtime.

Doctors recommend taking it in the morning

Current guidelines for the treatment of hypertension do not recommend when to take the medication. Morning ingestion is the most common recommendation by doctors because it is based on the idea that blood pressure should be reduced first thing in the morning. However, some doctors have previously found that mean systolic blood pressure during sleep is the most significant indication, regardless of measurements taken during the day or at the doctor's office.

This study may well change the habits of hypertensive patients, who are not always well advised by their doctors. «Doctors often recommend that blood pressure be taken in the morning, thinking that it should be reduced as soon as possible. However, during sleep, systolic pressure is the most significant and independent indication of the risk of cardiovascular disease during the day », the author of the study explains.

According to Dr Yawo Tufa Nyasenu, President of the National Order of Pharmacists of Togo (ONPT), the reason why doctors prescribe the intake in the morning is that there is a physiological increase in blood pressure in the morning upon waking. « Anti-hypertensive drugs are taken according to the model of hypertension (HTA). Depending on whether you have daytime hypertension, the cardiologist will recommend taking the medication in the morning before activities and if you have nocturnal hypertension the medication will be taken in the evening. Each patient must know himself or herself with the help of his or her cardiologist » says Dr Yawo Tufa Nyasenu.

When should antihypertensive drugs be taken?

The treatment of high blood pressure is primarily based on the implementation of hygienic and dietary measures: « adopting a balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables, low in animal fats and salt, watching your weight, not smoking, limiting alcohol consumption and practising regular physical activity. Sometimes this is enough to bring the blood pressure back to normal. If this is not the case after 6 weeks, a drug treatment will be introduced. It can be prescribed as monotherapy (one class of medication) or in combination », recommends Dr Nyasenu.

How to take them?

For the treatment to be effective, certain compliance rules must be followed: « Always take your treatment at the same time. If you forget to take your medication at the usual time, you can still take it, even if it means changing the time you take it the next day. On the other hand, if you forget to take it for more than 24 hours, do not double the dose », the specialist insists.  If the treatment is intolerable, do not stop it abruptly but discuss it with your doctor. Respect the rules of healthy living.

William O.