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Not Taking Your Blood Pressure Medicine Properly Could Increase Your Risk of Stroke

Are you being treated for high blood pressure? Then you may know that taking your pills as directed is important. It may not be easy to do. But a drug can only help you if you take it the way your doctor tells you to. Dealing with the bother of taking a pill is better than risking serious conditions. One of these conditions is a stroke.

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel feeding the brain gets clogged. The vessel may also burst. This prevents that area of the brain from working properly. As a result, the part of the body controlled by that area loses function. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a major risk factor for strokes.

Medicine and high blood pressure

Talk with your doctor about treatments for high blood pressure. Your doctor can also help you to determine your target blood pressure. Medicine can lower blood pressure when taken properly. It can also maintain a healthy blood pressure level when taken the right way. But treating high blood pressure also takes time. It takes patience. People respond differently to drugs. For this reason, your doctor may suggest a trial period to find the drug that’s best for you. Your doctor will also need to know what dose of a drug works for you. During this time, your doctor will watch for side effects. Your doctor will also want to see how your body responds to the drug. Be patient. And be sure to check your blood pressure as recommended by your doctor. It will benefit you in the long run.

Medicine for high blood pressure only works when you take it properly

Once your doctor decides on a treatment, the next step is for you to stick with the treatment. Your blood pressure will go back up if you go off your medicine. You should never stop your treatment without your doctor's consent. You should also take the medicine in the right dose. And take it at the right time.

Your doctor may lower the dose after you reach normal blood pressure. But you may still need to stay on your treatment for a long time. You might have to take it for the rest of your life. Keep in mind: following your doctor's orders can help you prevent a stroke.

Here are 7 tips to help you take your medicine properly:

1. Start a routine: Choose a time to take your pills every day. Try to link it with a task you already do. Brushing your teeth is a good time. Take your pills before or after you brush your teeth. Do you need to take your pills with food? If so, choose one meal a day when you will take them.
2. Store your pills where you will see them: Keep your pills in a spot where you won’t forget them. If you plan on taking the pills when you brush your teeth, put them by your toothbrush.
3. Get organized: Use a pillbox with compartments to carry your pills. Get one arranged by days of the week. This will help you remember to take your pills. You can get this kind of box at any drugstore.
4. Keep track: Write down when you take your medicine each day. Put it on a calendar. Or in a special notebook. Take more than one kind of pill? Just use different colored pens to keep track of each.
5. Remind yourself: Jot down a note to remind yourself to take your pills. Place the note in a spot that’s hard to miss. On a mirror. Or on the refrigerator. Change the note or its location often. You’re more likely to notice the note if it is in a new spot.
6. Ask for help: Set up a "buddy system."Ask a friend or relative to call you every day and remind you about taking your pills. It's also a great way to stay in touch with a loved one.
7. Remember to refill: Refill your prescription before you run out. Give yourself a reminder. Write a note on a calendar a week before the medicine is due to run out.

Keep these tips in mind. Don’t take risks you don’t have to take. If you have any questions or concerns about your blood pressure medicine, ask your doctor.