Now that we have entered summer, the temperature is gradually rising, with the highest temperature in the recent week being above 30°C. A considerable number of hypertensive patients, after measuring their blood pressure and finding it to be somewhat lower than in the past, have discontinued their antihypertensive medication. Should this discontinuation of medication be done or not? Let’s talk to you about it. The first thing to establish is that for patients with essential hypertension, the basal blood pressure is lower in summer than in any other season. The reasons for this are as follows: hot weather in summer increases people’s sweating, and if hydration is not timely, it can cause a decrease in the amount of blood effectively circulating in the body. Water and sodium retention is a cause of high blood pressure, so this reduction in blood volume is equivalent to patients taking a “diuretic antihypertensive drug”, and blood pressure will naturally be lower. In addition, the hot weather will cause the expansion of subcutaneous capillaries, this expansion reduces the pressure of blood vessels, equivalent to taking a “calcium ion antagonist antihypertensive drugs”. So for hypertensive patients, these two natural “antihypertensive drugs” will naturally make blood pressure more stable than before. Low blood pressure can be very dangerous for elderly people with heart and brain disease. Low blood pressure is associated with inadequate blood perfusion to the peripheral vital organs, ischemia and hypoxia, which may aggravate other diseases, such as increased angina attacks in patients with severe coronary artery stenosis, increased dizziness in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease, and bad effects in patients with chronic renal insufficiency. When to change the medication or stop it? If the systolic blood pressure (the value in front of the slash of the blood pressure value) is below 120 mmHg in most cases after repeated measurements with the medication, you need to go to the hospital to adjust the medication even though the symptoms are not obvious. In another case, although the blood pressure is also higher than 120 mmHg, but there is obvious weakness around the body, dizziness, and occasional blackness in front of the eyes, you also need to go to the hospital, the doctor comprehensive assessment of blood pressure, and adjust the medication as appropriate. For patients with mild to moderate hypertension, some of them can indeed discontinue antihypertensive drugs in summer. But for more patients, adjusting antihypertensive medication is more important than discontinuing it. Because antihypertensive drugs do not only have a hypotensive effect, but also have a greater protective effect for patients with ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and other conditions, such as ARBs, ACEIs, and betablockers, for which discontinuation is generally not recommended, but rather requires a reduction to a tolerable dose of the drug with close monitoring of blood pressure. Summer is a risky season for elderly patients with hypertension. Whether you should reduce your antihypertensive medication or discontinue it requires you to visit the hospital on time and let your doctor decide for you, based on close monitoring of your blood pressure. Do not adjust your medication or stop taking it without permission.