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Heart Disease In The News High initial doses of blood pressure drugs a problem In the Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. Jay S. Cohen, a noted expert on hypertension, reports that for most hypertensive drugs, the PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference) gives starting doses that are higher than doses recommended by blood pressure experts. Because most doctors in America rely heavily on the PDR for dosing schedules, patients are often started on doses of blood pressure medicine that are too high. The high doses lead to an increased incidence of side effects, which, in turn, sours patients on using blood pressure medication at all. Dr. Cohen urges doctors to take care when initiating antihypertensive medication, so as not to cause patients who need therapy (to prevent serious cardiovascular disease) to go running to the hills. |
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