Recently, some middle-aged and elderly people ask me in the outpatient clinic that they have been taking an antihypertensive drug for several years, is it resistant to it? Now that his blood pressure is not well controlled, is it possible that this drug is no longer effective? This is a very common question. Will the body develop drug resistance if you take one antihypertensive drug for years? If you choose to take a certain antihypertensive drug for a long time, stick to it as long as your blood pressure is well controlled. Because antihypertensive drugs control your blood pressure through some biological mechanisms, this process will not be weakened or disappear after taking the drug for too long. The “drug resistance” we often talk about is also generally for the antibiotics, which act on bacteria or viruses, killing them to the therapeutic effect. As bacteria and viruses evolve from generation to generation, they may become resistant to a certain drug, and the same drug will not work for that bacteria or virus. And this is completely different from antihypertensive drugs. What people think of as drug resistance is often a case of a drug that used to control blood pressure very well, but gradually blood pressure control gets worse. It’s not that the medication isn’t working for you, it’s that your hypertension is progressing. As you get older, your blood vessels become less elastic and your blood pressure becomes more difficult to control. What you need to do at this time is to see a doctor to adjust the type and dosage of your medication and choose a more appropriate antihypertensive plan. Is it true that as long as your blood pressure is well controlled, you don’t need to change your medication? For example, calcium antagonists can cause edema, rapid heart rate, and gum growth, so if you have severe symptoms from these side effects, you will need to change your medication. Some ACEI drugs can cause coughing, and if you can’t tolerate them, you need to change your medication in time, even though they are effective in lowering blood pressure. Also, as other diseases develop, such as diabetes, slower heart rate, poor kidney function, etc., you will need to adjust the most appropriate antihypertensive medication, which will require you to see a doctor to adjust your medication.