[Medical Q&A] If a patient with hypertension has low blood pressure in the summer, can he stop taking medication on his own?

Planner: Chinese Medical Association

Reviewer: Xiangdong Jian, Chief Physician, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University

Many patients with hypertension have had this experience: their blood pressure is relatively low in the summer and is basically normal without medication, so they stop taking antihypertensive drugs on their own, and then resume taking antihypertensive drugs in late autumn and early winter when the weather turns cooler. This is unscientific.

The purpose of hypertension drug control is to keep blood pressure within the target value as much as possible and reduce the occurrence of heart, brain and kidney complications. The principle of drug use is long-term use, blood pressure monitoring, and adjustment of drug dosage according to blood pressure conditions. Hypertension is a chronic disease that is not easy to cure completely. The condition sometimes worsens and sometimes stabilizes, and it is closely related to climate change. Hypertensive patients have high blood pressure in winter and tend to stabilize in summer. However, even if the blood pressure of hypertensive patients is normal, antihypertensive drugs cannot be stopped at will.

Generally speaking, patients with hypertension can appropriately reduce the dosage of medication in the summer. If blood pressure drops after taking medication, they can continue to take medication at a maintenance dose, or choose long-acting sustained-release antihypertensive drugs. Before patients gradually stop taking medication, it is recommended to perform 24-hour dynamic blood pressure monitoring and consult a specialist.