NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It is often more appropriate to take antihypertensive medication in the evening before bedtime, as the effect of taking it on low blood pressure is better on average, researchers report in the European Heart Journal. Many people with high blood pressure take the medicine in the morning.
According to the study, taking these drugs in the evening reduced the risk of developing a serious disease caused by high blood pressure, by about half; as people with high blood pressure to take drugs often daily, in order to reduce blood pressure day and night, according to the German news agency .
A team of researchers in Spain, led by Ramon Hermida of the University of Vigo, tried to figure out the most appropriate time to take antihypertensive drugs, as part of the "Hijia" research project involving more than 40 medical centers in Spain.
More than 19,000 patients participated in the study, half of whom received antihypertensive drugs in the evening. Doctors monitored the blood pressure in these patients for six years, at least once a year, using blood pressure monitors that patients had placed on their bodies for 48 hours, showing that the group who took their drugs in the evening achieved better results in reducing blood pressure.
Evening drug use also prevented patients from developing serious illnesses caused by high blood pressure, including heart disease, circulation, heart attacks and cerebral palsy, all of which can lead to death of patients or require surgery to expand blocked blood vessels.