Is it safe to reduce blood pressure medications for older adults?

“Doctor, can you take away any of my medications? I am taking too many pills.” As physicians, we hear this request frequently. The population most affected by the issue of being prescribed multiple medications, known as polypharmacy, is the elderly. Trying to organize long lists of medications, and remembering to take them exactly as prescribed, can become a full-time job. In addition to the physical and emotional burden of organizing medications, older adults are at increased risk for certain types of side effects and potential worse outcomes due to polypharmacy. A common source of prescriptions is high blood pressure, with older adults often finding themselves on multiple medications to lower their blood pressure. Data from the Framingham Heart Study show that over 90% of middle-aged people will eventually develop high blood pressure, and at least 60% will go on to take medications to lower blood pressure. The OPTIMISE trial, recently published in JAMA, studied the effect of reducing the number of blood pressure medications, also known as deprescribing, in the elderly. How low should blood pressure be in older adults? Previous large studies, including the HYVET trial and the more recent SPRINT trial, have shown that treatment of high blood pressure in older adults remains important, and may reduce the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and cardiovascular death. Black adults made up 31% of the SPRINT trial study population; therefore, study results could be use...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Drugs and Supplements Hypertension and Stroke Source Type: blogs