When you take your meds may actually matter
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It turns out when you take your regular medication may make a difference. A recent study of 20,000 people in the European Heart Journal found that blood pressure medication was more effective when taken at night.
“I think the rather surprising finding is that there was a dramatic decrease in the number of people who had strokes and heart attacks and other heart disease related issues if they took their medication at night,” said Dr. Jon Hallberg, medical director of the University of Minnesota Physicians Mill City Clinic. He said he’s been getting a lot of questions about the study from patients.
Hallberg said timing can matter because the body goes through certain processes at specific times.
“For example, our stomach can produce a lot of acid at 2 or 3 in the morning. Many people who suffer from heartburn or reflux will know that they'll wake up in the middle of the night with this pain,” Hallberga said. “Also, our liver makes LDL cholesterol molecules more at night, so that's why people might take their statin medication at night.”
To hear more of this conversation, click play on the audio player above.
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