Is there a best time of day to take your blood pressure pill?

MONDAY, Aug. 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) — It doesn’t seem to matter what time of day or night you take your blood pressure medication, a new study finds.

The results of a randomized study of more than 21,000 patients with hypertension followed over five years show that protection against heart attack, stroke and vascular death is not compromised when the drugs are taken in the morning or evening.

These results contradict previous research, which suggested a major benefit when the drugs were taken at night.

For the study, men and women were randomly assigned to take their blood pressure medication in the morning or evening. Researchers then looked for hospitalization for heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease.

Over a median of five years, 3.4% of those who took their medication at night and 3.7% of those who took their medication in the morning were hospitalized for a heart attack, stroke, or died from cardiovascular disease.

The results were presented on Friday at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona. Research results presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The study “was one of the largest cardiovascular studies ever conducted and provides a definitive answer to the question of whether antihypertensive medication should be taken in the morning or in the evening,” said researcher Thomas MacDonald, a research professor at the University of Dundee In scotland.

“The study clearly found that heart attack, stroke and vascular death occurred at similar rates regardless of the timing of administration,” MacDonald said in a press release from the meeting. “People with high blood pressure should take their regular antihypertensive medication at a time of day that is convenient for them and minimizes side effects.”

More information

For more information on high blood pressure, see the American Heart Association.