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Headaches prevented by taking blood pressure medication

Source: Reuters
Health Central

Our Summary

British researchers have found people taking blood pressure lowering drugs suffered less headaches than people taking a placebo in a recent study. Blood pressure medication such as; diuretics, ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers prevented about a third of headaches in the study participants.

Professor Malcolm Law from Queen Mary's School of Medicine and Dentistry, London studied a group of 17, 641 people to find only 8% of those taking blood pressure medication suffered headaches, compared to 12% who received a placebo.

Professor Law's findings, released in Circulation , The American Heart Association journal, referred to the headaches as 'high blood pressure-hypertension headaches'. Headaches can be a sign of severe high blood pressure, often experienced by people whose systolic blood pressure is 200 mmHg or more. However, generally headaches are not a symptom of hypertension. Anyone suffering ongoing headaches should be checking their blood pressure frequently.

The National Headache Foundation website offers information on headaches and may be a helpful resource for those people who suffer from headaches.

This study adds an extra motivation to keep taking blood pressure lowering medication.

Steve's note: I used to get headaches daily. Since going on BP medications I have not had a single headache. That is enough motivation for me!

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