You may need to take blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life. But your doctor might be able to reduce or stop your treatment if your blood pressure stays under control for several years. It's really important to take your medicine as directed. If you miss doses, it will not work as well.
Long-term use of blood pressure medication could be contributing to kidney damage. New kidney research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine is raising concerns that long-term use of drugs commonly prescribed to treat high-blood pressure and heart failure could be contributing to kidney damage.
While there is no cure for high blood pressure, it is important for patients to take steps that matter, such as making effective lifestyle changes and taking BP-lowering medications as prescribed by their physicians.
It may be safe to stop antihypertensive medications in older people who are taking the medication for high blood pressure or primary prevention of heart disease. Older adults should not stop any of their medications without talking to a healthcare professional.
It's important to remember that high blood pressure is not usually a death sentence. As long as you're regularly working with your doctor on treatment and managing your blood pressure levels, you will likely live a long life. This includes making significant changes to your health and lifestyle for the better.
Blood pressure of 70 year olds. Blood pressure at age 70 is recommended to be kept at 134/87 mmHg. According to some studies, the blood pressure of 70-year-old people usually ranges from 121/83 mmHg - 147/91 mmHg.
Yes, you may be able to get off blood pressure medication. You'll need to make some changes to your diet and lifestyle first. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, exercise regularly, and manage your weight.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to disability, a poor quality of life, or even a deadly heart attack or stroke. Treatment and lifestyle changes can help control high blood pressure to reduce the risk of life-threatening complications.
Primary hypertension cannot be completely reversed. But that doesn't mean everyone with this kind of high blood pressure needs to take medication. Some people are able to keep their blood pressure within a healthy range with lifestyle changes. But that requires sustaining these habits long term.
“It may take a month to six weeks to bring your blood pressure down by slowly raising your medication doses,” Durso notes. “Lowering blood pressure too quickly can cause dizziness and increase the risk for falls.”
Safe medications to use include methyldopa and potentially some diuretics and beta-blockers, including labetalol.
Some research suggests coffee can lower the risk for high blood pressure, also called hypertension, in people who don't already have it. But drinking too much coffee has been shown to raise blood pressure and lead to anxiety, heart palpitations and trouble sleeping.
“Consuming diets with adequate magnesium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension).
120 to 129/less than 80 (Elevated): You probably don't need medication. 130/80 to 139/89 (stage 1 hypertension): You might need medication. 140/90 or higher (stage 2 hypertension): You probably need medication.
If it's still very high, seek medical care. Call 911 or emergency medical services if your blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or symptoms of stroke. Stroke symptoms include numbness or tingling, trouble speaking, or changes in vision.
The previous guidelines set the threshold at 140/90 mm Hg for people younger than age 65 and 150/80 mm Hg for those ages 65 and older. This means 70% to 79% of men ages 55 and older are now classified as having hypertension. That includes many men whose blood pressure had previously been considered healthy.
Normal blood pressure for most adults is defined as a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80. Elevated blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure between 120 and 129 with a diastolic pressure of less than 80.
Still, you can make lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down. Something as simple as keeping yourself hydrated by drinking six to eight glasses of water every day improves blood pressure. Water makes up 73% of the human heart,¹ so no other liquid is better at controlling blood pressure.
In other words, once blood pressure rises above normal, subtle but harmful brain changes can occur rather quickly—perhaps within a year or two. And those changes may be hard to reverse, even if blood pressure is nudged back into the normal range with treatment.