Can you not stop taking antihypertensive drugs? Not entirely. It depends on the specific situation.

A friend who suffers from high blood pressure told Huazi that he had encountered a "difficult problem". He said that he was diagnosed with high blood pressure a few years ago. While taking antihypertensive drugs, he also controlled his diet and increased exercise. He lost a lot of weight and his blood pressure was well controlled. Some time ago, he ran out of antihypertensive drugs, but he didn't have time to buy more, so he took the opportunity to try the effect of stopping the drugs.

He stopped taking the medicine for a month, and found that his blood pressure could maintain a normal value of 120/70 mmHg when he stopped taking the medicine. He asked Huazi if he still needed to resume taking the medicine. Huazi told him not to take the medicine for the time being and to observe and see. But the friend was a little unsure. Didn't they say that if you suffer from high blood pressure, you can't stop taking the medicine anymore? If he stopped taking the medicine now, would it have any impact on his body?

1. The purpose of taking antihypertensive drugs Huazi told him that the harm caused by high blood pressure lies in the high blood pressure itself. The benefit of taking antihypertensive drugs is the lowering of blood pressure itself. Therefore, the purpose of taking antihypertensive drugs for hypertensive patients is "taking drugs for the purpose of lowering blood pressure", not "taking drugs for the sake of taking drugs".

The reason why you cannot stop taking medication after you have high blood pressure is that 95% of high blood pressure is primary and cannot be cured, and blood pressure can only be controlled by taking medication continuously. In addition, as the human body ages, blood pressure tends to gradually increase, so for most patients with high blood pressure, once blood pressure starts to rise, it is difficult to lower it, and antihypertensive drugs cannot be stopped.

2. Who can stop taking the medicine? Huazi just said that the antihypertensive medicine cannot be stopped, which means that "most" hypertensive patients can stop taking the medicine. However, these patients need to meet a prerequisite, that is, they can lower their blood pressure without taking medicine.

Among the hypertensive patients Huazi has seen, those who were originally obese have the best effect in lowering their blood pressure by losing weight, and their blood pressure can be lowered by more than 20 mmHg. The second is people who have a strong taste and like salty tastes, who can reduce their blood pressure by about 10 mmHg by limiting salt (no more than 6 grams per day).

Doing aerobic exercise for more than half an hour every day can also reduce blood pressure by about 10 mmHg. During exercise, arterioles dilate, peripheral resistance decreases, and blood pressure drops. Exercise can also increase blood vessel elasticity, improve red blood cell oxygen carrying capacity, reduce heart rate, improve cardiopulmonary capacity, and promote overall human health.

Some people also have high blood pressure due to short-term mental stress. Mental stress is common in patients with simple low blood pressure increase. For example, when the work pressure is too high or when you have to take an exam, the blood pressure will rise. After these external factors are eliminated, the mood will relax and the blood pressure will naturally drop.

3. Who should not stop taking the medicine? 1. Incorrect blood pressure measurement: The human body's blood pressure will fluctuate within a certain range within a day, and the trough and peak values ​​will differ by 20%. Therefore, if normal blood pressure is only measured during the trough period, and high blood pressure is still measured during the peak period, it is not considered normal blood pressure and the medicine cannot be stopped. It is recommended to do 24-hour dynamic blood pressure monitoring, which can accurately monitor blood pressure throughout the day and make a reasonable assessment.

Some people's subclavian arteries may "steal blood", resulting in a large difference in blood pressure between the left and right arms. One arm may have normal blood pressure while the other arm has high blood pressure. When measuring blood pressure, both arms should be measured at the same time, and the higher side shall prevail.

2. Caused by disease: If high blood pressure induces heart failure, it will cause insufficient cardiac output, resulting in a drop in blood pressure. Or diarrhea, excessive sweating, drinking too little water, etc. may cause a drop in blood volume, resulting in a drop in blood pressure. In these cases, antihypertensive drugs can be temporarily adjusted according to the condition, but they cannot be stopped for a long time.

3. Seasonal changes: The human body's blood pressure has seasonal changes, which is manifested as rising in winter and falling in summer. Some people's blood pressure is likely to drop to normal values ​​in summer. However, for such people, it is not recommended to stop taking the medicine. Because after stopping the medicine in summer, you need to take the medicine again in winter and experience the side effects of antihypertensive drugs again.

Because the side effects of most antihypertensive drugs mainly occur in the early stage of medication, it takes a period of continuous use before tolerance. Therefore, in order to avoid the adverse effects of antihypertensive drug side effects on the body, it is recommended that people with seasonal blood pressure drops can adjust to the lowest dose of antihypertensive drugs in the summer and continue taking the drugs instead of stopping the drugs completely.

In summary, patients with hypertension are not completely unable to stop taking antihypertensive drugs. When non-drug means can also effectively lower blood pressure, after close monitoring and doctor's evaluation, you can consider stopping the medication. People who cannot control their blood pressure should not stop taking medication at will. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and let me be the pharmacist by your side.