A recent study finds that elderly patients can have an increased risk of falling after starting a blood pressure medication. Researchers at the University Medical Center in New York studied 90,000 Medicaid patients who experienced fall injuries. Data indicated that patients who began taking hypertension medication had a 36 percent increase in the likelihood of falling within two weeks. Those who were already on blood pressure drugs had a 16 percent chance of falling after starting a new class of medication.
The report mirrors another study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, although data in Hypertension contradicts the findings. While the association between falls and blood pressure medications is contested, patients should be cautious when starting any new medications and report side effects to their primary care physician.
