New advice on blood-pressure drug

A class of drugs called beta-blockers should no longer be used as routine to treat high blood pressure, says the NHS drugs watchdog for England and Wales. Other drugs are better at treating the condition, also known as hypertension, which affects 40% of adults, it says.

The guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence says using beta-blockers can also increase the risk of diabetes. But patients on the drugs are urged to keep taking them until seeing their GP.

The guidance, developed in conjunction with the British Hypertension Society, is an update of NICE guidance published in 2004 - but only the section on drugs for managing hypertension has been republished.

The drugs are also used to treat heart failure and angina and should still be used for these problems.

But NICE now says the evidence suggests they perform less well than other drugs in treating high blood pressure, particularly in the elderly, and there is increasing evidence that they carry an "unacceptable risk" of provoking type 2 diabetes.

NEW RECOMMENDATIONS

• In patients under 55, first drug should be an ACE inhibitor, followed by a calcium channel blocker or a diuretic, then all three.
  
  
• In patients over 55, or black patients, first choice should be a calcium channel blocker or diuretic, followed by an ACE inhibitor, and then all three if necessary.
  
  
• Beta-blockers should no longer be used for hypertension except in patients who need them for other reasons such as heart failure.

Bonnie - keep in mind that these are recommendations for British citizens. Although, it couldn't hurt to discuss these new guidelines with your physician.