Is there a best time of day to take blood pressure pills?

Monday, August 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) – It doesn’t seem to matter what time of day or night you take blood pressure I found a new study.

Results from a randomized trial of more than 21,000 patients with hypertension who were followed for more than five years show that protection against Heart attackAnd the brain attack The death of blood vessels is not affected if the drugs are taken in the morning or evening.

These findings contrast with previous research that has indicated a significant benefit when taking medications at night.

For the study, men and women were randomly assigned to take blood pressure medications in the morning or evening. The researchers then looked for hospitalization for heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease.

Over five years, 3.4% of those who took their medications at night and 3.7% of those who took their medications in the morning were hospitalized for heart attack or stroke or died of cardiovascular disease.

The results were presented Friday at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona. Research presented at medical meetings is considered preliminary until it is published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Researcher Thomas MacDonald, a professor at the University of Dundee, said the study “was one of the largest cardiovascular studies ever conducted and provides a definitive answer to the question of whether blood pressure lowering medications should be taken in the morning or evening.” in Scotland.

“The trial clearly demonstrated that heart attacks, strokes, and vascular death occurred to a similar degree, regardless of the time of administration,” MacDonald said in a press release. “People with high blood pressure should take their usual antihypertensive medication at a time of day that is convenient for them and minimizes any unwanted effects.”

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For more on high blood pressure, see the American Heart Association.