Why Won't Hypertensive Patients Take Their Medicine?

Although hypertensives must take 80 percent or more of their medications each month in order to achieve substantial falls in blood pressure toward normal levels, only about half of them do so. Most features of the antihypertensive drug regimen actively discourage compliance. Commonly recommended strategies for improving low compliance, such as teaching hypertensives about their illness and its treatment or providing convenient follow-up care at the worksite, have been found ineffective. However, more behaviorally-oriented strategies, such as increased supervision and keeping home records of blood pressure and medication-taking, can 'salvage' many hypertensives who would otherwise remain uncontrolled.