When a patient suffers from high blood pressure he or she is given medication to bring the blood pressure down to a normal, less harmful level. Since blood pressure medications are strong and should not be overused, often the medication is reduced or stopped after a period of time. In some patients, when this is done, they blood pressure responds to the change in medication by becoming elevated once more. This phenomenon is known as Rebound Hypertension.

Rebound Hypertension can be very dangerous. Since blood vessels run through most of the organs, a rise in the blood pressure leads to a faster flow of blood, the force of which can lead to severe organ damage, particularly the kidneys whose function is to filter blood and are therefore very sensitive to changes in blood pressure. Prompt treatment of rebound hypertension can usually prevent such complications.

Rebound hypertension can be avoided by taking blood pressure medication according to the doctors’ prescription. If the medicine has to be reduced, usually because of undesirable side effects, it must be done gradually over time, in small increments. The normal reduction period is three to four weeks, and following the drug withdrawal, the patient must go to their doctor for a checkup.