Jean asked
I usually have low blood pressure but it has spiked all of a sudden. Can I take my husband’s blood pressure medicine, atenolol?
Answer
You should never take another person's prescription medication.
There are numerous reasons why taking another person's blood pressure medication or any medications not prescribed to you, is a bad idea:
- You may have an allergy to the medication.
- The medication may interact with something else you are taking
- You may have a medical condition that makes the medication contraindicated.
- The dose may be too high or low for you and you can experience dangerous side effects.
- You may be treating the symptoms of something without identifying the underlying problem/condition.
When it comes to blood pressure, taking someone else's medication would most likely lower your blood pressure. However, the dose may be too high and lead to increased risks for side effects and adverse reactions.
In addition, high blood pressure can be caused by a variety of factors (or in most cases combinations of factors) and not identifying the underlying problem/condition could result in sub optimal treatment and possibly greater harm.
High blood pressure, unless in a hypertensive crisis, is rarely appropriately stabilized or treated with acute dosing of medication. Most commonly, consistent dosing of a doctor prescribed blood pressure medication is necessary (save for dietary and lifestyle factors) to lead to consistently normal blood pressure.
In terms of underlying conditions, below are some common causes of high blood pressure include:
- Sleep troubles
- Increase in body weight
- Excess sodium consumption
- Thyroid disorder
- Alcohol consumption
- Caffeine consumption
- Kidney disease
- Genetic factors
If you are experiencing high blood pressure and do not get evaluated by a health care professional, you may be putting yourself at risk for potentially serious complications by taking someone else's blood pressure medication.
