Hypertension is the most common chronic disease and the most important risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. In order to control blood pressure within the normal range, besides diet adjustment accidents, rational drug use is also a very important means.
However, there are still many prejudices and misunderstandings about antihypertensive drugs.
If the misunderstanding is not relieved, many patients will not be able to regulate medication at ease. They will always stop eating and do great harm to their bodies.
Next, I will give you an answer to the five most common mistakes, hoping to dispel your misunderstanding of antihypertensive drugs, standardize medication under the guidance of doctors, control blood pressure and live a healthy life.
Error 1: If you can’t take medicine, don’t take medicine. The correct way is to take medicine in time, which is good for your health.
Many friends find that after controlling hypertension, they always ask: Is it okay not to take medicine first? Let’s take a look at the diet first. If you can not take medicine, you will not take it.
This idea can be understood. Establishing good living habits is really very helpful to control blood pressure.
However, for patients with hypertension whose blood pressure exceeds 180/110 mmHg and diseases such as diabetes that increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents, it is recommended to start oral antihypertensive drugs to control blood pressure immediately. Controlling blood pressure within the normal range is the best way to avoid cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications.
For patients with low blood pressure and low risk of cardiovascular accidents, if the lifestyle is adjusted for 1-3 months and the blood pressure does not drop to normal, drug control should also be started early.
Error 2: You can’t use [good drugs] at first. The correct way is to use the right drugs as soon as possible.
At present, there are five kinds of first-line antihypertensive drugs commonly used clinically, including calcium channel blocker (CCB), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI), angiotensin receptor antagonist (ARB), diuretic and receptor blocker, which are all good drugs. If any drug is bad, it will definitely be eliminated and not worth using.
For different groups of people, there will be different preferred recommendations for choosing antihypertensive drugs.
- For young people, receptor blockers and ACEI drugs are preferred. The elderly, atherosclerosis is serious, CCB may be the first choice; For patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease, ACEI and ARB are the first choice of antihypertensive drugs.
These preferred recommendations are to find suitable antihypertensive drugs as soon as possible, which does not mean absolute [good] [bad]. For each patient, it can reduce blood pressure to the normal range without obvious side effects after long-term administration. For this patient, this drug is the most suitable drug and is a good drug.
As for [antihypertensive drugs should leave room, good drugs should be used at the beginning, and then there will be no drugs available], this logic is simply illogical. If the most suitable drugs are not selected at the beginning, it is not good to lower blood pressure. Do you have to wait for poor blood pressure control, myocardial infarction and renal failure before taking good drugs?
Error 3: Long-term use of the same medicine requires dressing change. The correct way is not to change dressing frequently.
Medication for hypertension is very individualized, and everyone has different sensitivity to hypertension drugs, so it may take some time to find the appropriate drug type and dosage when starting medication.
Once you find a drug that can make your blood pressure reach the standard without obvious side effects, you should stick to it for a long time without routine replacement.
Hypertension is not a bacterium and there will be no [drug resistance]. Do not change dressings when blood pressure is well controlled. Because dressing change not only bears the risk of blood pressure fluctuation, but also may face the side effects brought by new drugs. Is it not worth the cost?
If the blood pressure changes, the drug can be adjusted, added or changed under the guidance of the doctor, instead of changing the dressing because it takes a long time.
Error 4: Combination of Drugs Has Great Side Effects Correct Approach: Blood Pressure Reaching the Standard Is Most Important
The goal of blood pressure control is to minimize the occurrence of cardiovascular complications. For most hypertensive patients, it is difficult to control blood pressure to reach the standard with a single drug, so combined drugs are needed.
Different antihypertensive drugs have different mechanisms of action. If the combined medication scheme is appropriate, it can not only control blood pressure, but also reduce complications. For example, CCB drugs are easy to cause tachycardia. At this time, combined use of receptor blockers can well prevent tachycardia.
The medication plan needs to be formulated by cardiovascular doctors, learning from each other’s strong points and not blindly combining by patients themselves.
Error 5: The lower the blood pressure, the better. The correct way is to lower blood pressure. The goal of lowering blood pressure should vary from person to person.
For different groups, the target value of blood pressure reduction is different, and too low blood pressure will also increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
- In general hypertension patients, blood pressure (systolic blood pressure/diastolic blood pressure) should be reduced to below 140/90 mmHg; Systolic blood pressure of the elderly aged 65 and above should be controlled below 150 mmHg, which can be further reduced if tolerated. If accompanied by kidney diseases, diabetes, stable coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases, the antihypertensive target should be more individualized, and the blood pressure can generally be reduced to below 130/80 mmHg.
The target value of blood pressure control should be analyzed according to the specific situation. Instead of blindly pursuing blood pressure to reach the normal level, regardless of age and the specific situation of patients, blindly requiring blood pressure to be lowered to the [normal] level will inevitably affect the blood supply to important organs such as heart and brain, and will do more harm than good.
In addition to taking medicine, lifestyle adjustment is also very important for hypertension patients. Whether you use antihypertensive drugs or not, lifestyle is the cornerstone of health.
Click on the link below to learn about matters needing attention in hypertension home life.