Healthy Wintering Program
People with high blood pressure need to monitor their blood pressure so that they can see how well they are doing and how well their medications are responding. However, some patients see blood pressure measurement as a sign and a bellwether for taking medication, taking it only when blood pressure is elevated, and stopping it when blood pressure is normal. This method of taking the drug is incorrect, harmful, and needs to be corrected in time.
The effect of antihypertensive drugs is to lower blood pressure and control blood pressure within the normal range through the action of drugs. If the blood pressure is controlled in the normal range after taking the medicine, it means that the drug is effective, and the dosage and combination are also appropriate, and the medicine should be continued to maintain the efficacy. Even if your blood pressure drops to a normal level, continue to take your medication. Unless blood pressure is always too low and systolic blood pressure is always below 110 mmHg, drug adjustment or dose reduction should be considered.
After the drug enters the body, it is metabolized and excreted, and the decay time of the drug concentration in the blood is called the "half-life" of the drug. For once-a-day medications, it takes a week or so to reach a stable state, which varies from medication to medication. Therefore, it is necessary to replenish the drugs that are metabolized and excreted every day to keep the concentration of drugs in the body stable and maintain the antihypertensive effect.
If the blood pressure is normal, the drug concentration in the body will decrease, and the blood pressure will rise again. What's more, taking medication irregularly can cause blood pressure to fluctuate, and excessive blood pressure fluctuations are more harmful than high blood pressure itself. Studies have shown that abnormal blood pressure fluctuations and high blood pressure levels are two separate risk factors. Abnormal fluctuations in blood pressure can not only cause damage to target organs, such as carotid arteriosclerosis, left ventricular hypertrophy, renal dysfunction, etc., but also be associated with cardiovascular events such as acute myocardial infarction and stroke, and cardiovascular death. Studies of coronary artery disease have found that large fluctuations in blood pressure are associated with the degree of coronary stenosis.
Therefore, patients with high blood pressure should stick to taking their medication regularly and do not stop taking it because their blood pressure is normal. Medications should only be adjusted or reduced on the advice of a doctor. At the same time, we should also pay attention to good living Xi such as controlling diet, maintaining adequate sleep, and exercising moderately to maintain stable and healthy blood pressure.