Combination pills act better on hypertension

In a recent study, it was stated that using a combination of medications for hypertension is much better than using one medication only. The study was initiated by Lancet that involves 1200 respondents. The research results prove that a start out medication of 2 pills are deemed to be more effective, with lesser side effects compared to only having one prescribed pill. In the conventional practices of medicine, the doctor only gives 1 medication for the hypertension and will just add another one if the hypertension is still high. This is the tradition that is being challenged by the Lancet study.

In the UK alone, a whopping 10 million individuals have been diagnosed with hypertension. It is necessary to have a preventive maintenance medication to minimize the risks of having stroke or heart attack. In this study, the team is made up of researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Glasgow and Dundee and the exact number of patients is at 1254 coming from 10 countries. The study compares the difference between taking in 1 medication only or a combination of 2.the medications used were Aliskiren and Amlodipine. In the first analysis after 6 months, those with combination medications had 25% better results compared to the ones with one medication only.

This 25% better response means that there is greater reduction of the pressure to the regular levels. Another surprising find is that the patients with the combination medication are less likely to stop their medication because of side effects. Another way to make it even easier for patients to take in medication is to combine them in a single pill. According to University of Cambridge's Prof. Morris Brown, this method creates a new and intuitive method of treating and regulating high blood pressure. In this combination pill, patients can get 2 benefits in one and have the comfort of knowing that they are less likely to contact heart disease or stroke.

This concept might be a simple aspect of timing but in hypertension, timing is of a critical essence. Hypertension is a silent attacker and can cause a lot of problems to those who do not even know that they are hypertensive. This medication that combines two pills into one can help ease out on the psychological torment of having tons of medications but at the same time, it also helps in keeping the body a lot more secure from the various dangers of the body.

The study was funded by the pharmaceutical company, Novartis and they are the ones that make the popular Amlodipine and Aliskiren medications. In 2010, FDA approved the use of combination pills in the US. Hopefully more and more countries with populations running the risk of hypertension will also benefit from such medications. This can really help in preventing any possible issues that could be caused by such a disease. Again, early detection of the condition is critical so going to the doctor for a checkup and having your pressure checked regularly can help you in mitigating the horrible consequences of the disease.