Study Backs Different Blood Pressure Drugs

A new study suggests that doctors may want to try different drugs first to treat high blood pressure. Current guidelines say most people should get a diuretic (water pill) first. Other drugs can be added. But the new study found better results without a diuretic. The study included more than 11,000 people. Each person took pills that contained two drugs. All pills contained benazepril, an ACE inhibitor. The first group also received amlodipine, a calcium channel blocker. The second group also received hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic. People in the first group had fewer heart attacks, other serious events and deaths than people in the second group. The rate was 9.6% for the first group and 11.8% for the second. HealthDay News wrote about the study December 3. It was in the New England Journal of Medicine.