No need to take medicine without symptoms? 4 major misunderstandings of high blood pressure medication

Speaking of high blood pressure, it is so common these days that even if you do not have high blood pressure, you are often surrounded by relatives and friends.

“Chinese Cardiovascular According to the Health and Disease Report 2020, the number of hypertensive patients in my country has reached 245 million, however, only 16.9% of them are well controlled [1].

Why high blood pressure So hard to control?

a big The reason is that many people cannot do scientific medicine and correct treatment.

Then high blood pressure What are the “pits” that should be avoided in drug use? Let’s take a look at the stories of several patients.

Myth 1 : No medication without symptoms

Case 1

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Mr. Xu (42 years old), he was found to have high blood pressure during a physical examination at the unit last year. His wife advised him to take medicine for treatment, but he felt that his body was not uncomfortable, so he didn’t need to worry about it. Besides, “it’s a three-point poisonous medicine”, can he not take this medicine? Just don’t eat it.

A significant proportion of people with high blood pressure are asymptomatic. However, no symptoms does not mean no harm.

High blood pressure It is called “silent killer” because its harm often comes silently. Although some patients are asymptomatic and feel good about themselves, in fact, multiple organs in the body are slowly damaged:

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Excessive blood pressure requires the heart to work harder, which can lead to myocardial infarction and heart failure over time; high blood pressure may damage the blood vessels in the brain, causing brain Bleeding, stroke; high blood pressure also damages the renal blood vessels for a long time, increasing the burden on the kidneys, and even causing renal fibrosis, atrophy, and functional failure.

So, no matter what Whether you have symptoms or not, you must control your blood pressure within the normal range. Don’t wait for complications to come to your door to regret it!

Myth 2: Stop taking the drug as soon as the blood pressure drops< /strong>

Case 2< /span>

< span>Aunt Li (51 years old), after taking antihypertensive drugs for a period of time, found that her blood pressure had returned to the normal range. She believed that her high blood pressure had been cured and she did not need to take any more medicines. As a result, not long after the drug was stopped, the blood pressure went up again.

The vast majority of hypertension is a lifelong chronic disease that requires long-term medication control.

normal blood pressure after medication , is the result of the action of the drug, not that high blood pressure is “good”. Once the drug is stopped, blood pressure will rise again.

Some patients have high blood pressure Taking the medicine when it starts, and stopping it when it drops, this on-demand medication model will cause the blood pressure to fluctuate up and down, always fluctuating. As a result, the risk of complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke will be greatly increased.

In short, buck You can’t take the medicine as you want or stop it if you want. You must insist on taking the medicine on time and adjust the medicine in time under the guidance of the doctor.

Myth 3 : It’s good for others to take some kind of antihypertensive medicine, so I take it too

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Case Three

Uncle Zhang (60 years old), the effect of taking medicines to lower blood pressure is not ideal, and the side effects are relatively large. Recently, the neighbor Uncle Wang told him that he felt good when taking some kind of antihypertensive medicine, so he also planned to buy it and try it. .

Some hypertensive patients do not go to the doctor, but ask relatives and friends, and buy and eat by themselves. One pass, this will not work. Because there are many factors to be considered in the use of hypertension medication, each person’s physical condition is different, and the mechanism of action of different drugs is also different, so we must not blindly follow the trend.

Commonly used buck Drugs, according to the mechanism of action can be divided into “AABCD” 5 categories:

A (ACEI):Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (pril-like) such as captopril, enamel Pooley et al;

A (ARB):Angiotensin II receptor antagonists (sartans), such as losartan, telmisartan, etc.;

B (BB):β-blockers (olol), such as bisoprolol, metoprolol, etc.;

C (CCB): calcium channel blockers (dipine such as amlodipine, nifedipine, etc.;

D: Diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide.

These 5 types of drugs Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and each has its own indications. Everyone should find the most suitable medicine for themselves under the guidance of a doctor.

Some people list When the blood pressure cannot reach the target when taking one drug, two or more antihypertensive drugs need to be used in combination. Therefore, many hypertensive patients take a lot of medicine every day, which makes them miserable, and even resists taking medicine.

Fortunately there is one more Option – Single tablet combination.

Single Combination It can reduce the number of medicines and reduce the psychological burden of patients. Moreover, its antihypertensive effect is better than that of single medicine and free combination medicine, and it can also offset the side effects of single medicine [2]. Take the common single-piece compound preparations on the market as an example:

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< strong>Lisinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide Single Tablet Combination

Lisinopril improves left ventricular function and delays renal function while reducing blood pressure. Injury effect; hydrochlorothiazide reduces blood pressure by excreting natriuresis and reducing blood volume, and can also enhance the antihypertensive effect of lisinopril [3]. The two synergistically strengthen blood pressure reduction, and at the same time reduce the adverse reactions of hyperkalemia, renal injury and orthostatic hypotension caused by each.

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Bisoprolol Amlodipine Single Tablet Compounds

Bisoprolol acts on both the heart and kidneys, lowering blood pressure by reducing heart rate and cardiac output, while amlodipine relaxes Arterial blood vessels play a role in reducing blood pressure. Combining the two, on the one hand, the antihypertensive effect is better than that of a single drug [4], on the other hand, bisoprolol can slow down the heart rate while reducing blood pressure, offset the side effect of amlodipine’s accelerated heart rate, and provide more cardiovascular benefits. Comprehensive protection [5].

For concomitant use For patients with multiple drugs, in order to avoid blood pressure fluctuations caused by missed doses, it is recommended to choose such long-acting single-piece compound preparations.

Myth 4 : Only rely on drugs to lower blood pressure without changing lifestyle

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< span>Case 4

Mr. Wang (45 years old), usually has a lot of entertainment and stress at work. After being diagnosed with high blood pressure three years ago, he has been insisting on taking medicine, but he smokes and drinks alcohol, every three days. Staying up late to socialize, as a result, blood pressure is not well controlled.

If you want to control your blood pressure, taking medicine is not enough. You must also pay attention to the following points in your life:

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reasonable meal

reduce sodium intake , the daily intake of sodium should be controlled within 6 grams; limit calories, fat, especially It is necessary to reduce the intake of animal oils and trans fatty acids; eat more fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains, as well as fish, poultry, egg whites, skim milk and other high-quality protein-rich foods.

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Control your weight and avoid overweight and obesity< /span>

Weight loss should be gradual. Rapid weight loss is not recommended. Generally, it is advisable to lose 10% of the original weight within one year.

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Stop smoking and limit alcohol< /strong>

Smoking and drinking can affect The effect of antihypertensive drugs will also increase the chance of complications, so I advise everyone to quit if they can.

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Exercise in moderation strong>

It is recommended to do aerobic exercise for more than 30 minutes 3 to 5 times a week, such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, and aerobics, which are all good ways to exercise.

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Sleep properly strong>

Studies have confirmed that sleeping less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours is not good for blood pressure control. No matter whether it is a working day or a rest day, everyone must maintain a regular schedule, go to bed early and get up early.

In conclusion, medication It must be established on the basis of a healthy lifestyle, and both hands must be grasped in order to stabilize blood pressure.