Why Missing Blood Pressure Medication May Put Your Heart at Risk
“When doses are regularly missed, blood pressure no longer stays at a steady level, but fluctuates widely,” says Ramy Sadek, MD, a cardiologist and associate program director of the Cardiovascular Disease Fellowship at UC Riverside School of Medicine in California, who was not involved in the study.
Over time, those fluctuations can stress the arteries and increase the heart’s workload, potentially raising the long-term risk of a heart attack or stroke, Dr. Sadek says.
Why Is It Difficult to Take Blood Pressure Medication Consistently?
The results weren’t particularly surprising to the researchers or outside experts. What was striking was that medication adherence declined throughout the study period, even among clinical trial participants, who typically receive more structured follow-up than patients do in everyday medical care.
“This suggests that maintaining medication use over many years is a challenge, even under relatively favorable conditions,” Yang says.
One major challenge to a consistent medication routine is that high blood pressure often doesn’t cause symptoms, Al Dhaybi says: “Many patients with elevated blood pressure feel generally well and therefore do not perceive an immediate need to take medication.”
Side effects, complicated dosing schedules, multiple medications, and treatment costs can also make it difficult to take blood pressure drugs every day, he adds.
Sadek agrees. “Managing that level of polypharmacy is exhausting, and life will interrupt most routines,” he says.
The Study Had Some Limitations
Because the researchers combined data from multiple clinical trials, medication adherence wasn’t measured consistently across studies. To make comparisons possible, they grouped participants into those who took at least 80 percent of their medication and those who took less, even though adherence can vary considerably from person to person.
What Should You Do If You Forget Your Blood Pressure Medication?
Occasionally forgetting one pill doesn’t eliminate the benefits of your medication, experts say.
“I’d hate for a patient to read this and think, ‘I missed my pill on Tuesday, so the damage is already done — why bother continuing?’” Sadek says. “This study speaks to chronic nonadherence sustained over weeks and months, not the occasional lapse that happens to everyone.”
“Taking two doses at once can cause blood pressure to drop too low, which increases the risk of dizziness or fainting,” Sadek explains. Check the instructions for your particular medication or ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if you’re unsure what to do.
To prevent missed doses, simplifying treatment can help. If you take more than one drug, Al Dhaybi recommends asking your healthcare provider about combination medications that put two or three blood pressure drugs into one pill.
It may also help to tie your medicine routine to something you already do every day, a tactic called habit stacking. “Keeping the bottle next to the coffee maker or toothbrush tends to be far more reliable than depending on memory alone,” Sadek says.