When You Should Take Medications

When you take your medicine might be as important as the medicine itself.

We are finding out more and more this is true, especially when it comes to blood pressure drugs.

Up until recently most patients were given instructions to take their medication a certain number of times per day. And with blood pressure pills, it was usually once or twice a day but the timing of when to take them didn't really come up so most take them in the morning. That's because we didn't realize they worked better at certain times. And this latest study is showing that taking blood pressure medication at bedtime not only keeps your blood pressure better controlled but might even save your life.

Researchers had volunteers take their medication in the morning, the recommendation most get from their doctors, or at bedtime. Five years later, the bedtime group had better control of their blood pressure and only had 1/3 of the heart attacks and strokes the morning medicine volunteers did.

But, before you switch to nighttime doses, talk with your doctor. You want to make sure that timing doesn't interfere with other medications or treatment plans you're on.