Is it true that hypertension medication is taken for life, and what role do laboratory tests play in this?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a condition in which the pressure of blood within the arteries remains consistently elevated. A person is diagnosed with hypertension when their systolic blood pressure (pressure when the heart contracts) is ≥130 mmHg and their diastolic blood pressure (pressure when the heart relaxes) is ≥80 mmHg.
Hypertension often shows no specific or noticeable symptoms, yet it can lead to serious complications such as stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure, which is why it is often called the silent killer. More than one billion adults worldwide are known to suffer from hypertension. In Indonesia, according to the 2023 Basic Health Research (Riset Kesehatan Dasar) conducted by the Ministry of Health, the estimated number of people with hypertension reached 63 million, with 427 thousand deaths recorded.
Blood pressure is determined by two main factors: the amount of blood the heart pumps and the resistance of blood flow in the arteries. The more blood the heart pumps and the narrower the arteries, the higher the blood pressure will be. There are two main types of hypertension: primary and secondary. In primary hypertension, the exact cause cannot be clearly identified.
This type usually develops gradually over many years. Meanwhile, secondary hypertension results from an underlying medical condition, such as kidney disease, hormonal disorders, pregnancy, or the use of certain medications, among others.
Do You Have to Take Hypertension Medication Continuously?
Primary hypertension generally cannot be completely cured. Blood vessels that have become stiff or narrowed cannot return to normal quickly, causing blood pressure to remain high without consistent treatment. Antihypertensive medications work by helping to dilate blood vessels, reduce blood volume, or decrease the workload of the heart, keeping blood pressure within a normal range.
When medication is stopped suddenly, blood pressure can rise again and increase the risk of complications. This means that most hypertension patients require long-term medication to maintain their blood pressure within safe limits.
For more:
How Does Precision Drug Testing Support Safer Hypertension Management?
Can Hypertension Medication Be Stopped?
Several studies have explored whether antihypertensive medication can be discontinued. One important factor influencing blood pressure is body weight. For patients who successfully lose around 7 kilograms or more, a reduction in medication dosage may be considered. Lifestyle changes also play a crucial role in the ability to stop medication.
Research on lifestyle-related medication withdrawal shows that patients who managed to maintain normal blood pressure after stopping their medication were those who adopted healthy lifestyle habits, such as maintaining a healthy weight, reducing salt intake, and exercising regularly. About 50% of these individuals remained medication-free for up to three years. In contrast, among patients who did not make lifestyle changes, five out of six experienced a recurrence of hypertension within three years after stopping medication.
Nevertheless, the decision to discontinue antihypertensive medication should never be made independently without medical supervision, as each patient’s condition and risk factors vary. Managing hypertension is a long-term process. The main goal of hypertension control is not simply to stop taking medication, but to keep blood pressure within a healthy range in order to prevent serious complications in the future.
Given the complexity of long-term hypertension control, successful therapy depends not only on patient compliance and lifestyle changes, but also on the quality of the medication consumed. Antihypertensive medications must contain the correct, stable, and consistent active ingredients to maintain blood pressure control without increasing the risk of side effects.
Read more:
The Role of Validation in Ensuring the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products
Therefore, laboratory testing of antihypertensive drugs is a crucial step that cannot be ignored. For pharmaceutical industry players, ensuring the quality, safety, and appropriate levels of active ingredients through comprehensive laboratory testing with IML Research is part of their commitment to supporting safe and sustainable hypertension therapy.
Author: Jihan
Editor: Sabilla Reza
References:
Hegde S, Ahmed I, Aeddula NR. Secondary Hypertension. [Updated 2023 Jul 30]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544305/
Iqbal AM, Jamal SF. Essential Hypertension. [Updated 2023 Jul 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539859/
Townsend R. R. (2003). Can I stop taking this blood pressure medicine?. Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.), 5(3), 234. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1524-6175.2003.02403.x
World Health Organization. (2023). Hypertension. Retrieved on 18 October 2025 from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension
