The need to continue taking antihypertensive medication depends on whether the cause of the patient’s hypertension is primary or secondary. If the hypertension is primary, it is recommended to continue taking the medication. If it is secondary and the cause of the hypertension has been removed, the medication can be discontinued after specialist evaluation.
The causes of primary hypertension are varied. There is a genetic predisposition, as well as diet, obesity, and stress. Patients should not arbitrarily stop taking medication. In clinical life, most patients who stop taking medication return to their original high blood pressure within six months. And this kind of blood pressure fluctuating elevation of blood vessel damage is greater.
Such repeated high blood pressure is easy to damage the heart, brain, kidneys and other blood vessels, greatly increasing the incidence of coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, renal failure and other diseases, and in serious cases, it will induce myocardial infarction, stroke and other very dangerous situations, so it is very important to maintain the blood pressure in a homeostatic equilibrium.
For some patients with secondary hypertension (e.g., pheochromocytoma, Cushing’s syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, etc.), early removal of the cause of the disease, the patient’s blood pressure can be reduced to normal. In this case, discontinuation of the medication is an option after evaluation by a specialist.
If a patient with hypertension wants to stop taking the medication, it is recommended that he or she go to a regular hospital and follow the doctor’s instructions.