Combining two medicines may help reduce blood pressure

New studies show that patients who take a combination of two separate medicines for high blood pressure notice better results than those who simply take one. The two drugs are a Novartis AG (NVS) medicine and a generic blood pressure drug.

Additionally, researchers noted that individuals who began taking a single medicine but eventually switched to the combination method noticed improvements but not as significantly as those who took the combination for the entire treatment period.

The drugs were aliskiren (Tekturna) and amlodipine.

Assigning patients either a single medicine or both at the same time, scientists were able to determine the most effective method for treating hypertension.

Experts suggest the combination of drugs to be the best method for a routine blood pressure decrease and explain further evaluation is necessary after treatment takes place for some time period.

The results are promising for scientists and patients alike. Further research is being conducted on whether or not the medications should be taken continuously or if they should be used as a quick method to drop blood pressure figures.