Popular blood pressure drug linked to increased cardiac arrest risk

Here’s what the research found:

• Researchers studied two commonly prescribed calcium channel blockers: Nifedipine and Amlodipine.
• They found that high-dose nifedipine (60 mg/day or more) was associated with a higher risk of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in observational data from the Netherlands and Denmark.
• Amlodipine did not show the same increased risk in this study.

However, there are important limitations:

• The study was observational, so it found an association, not proof that nifedipine caused the cardiac arrests.
• The findings were first presented at a scientific meeting, and the researchers themselves emphasized that additional studies were needed before changing medical practice.
• The reported concern was specifically with high-dose nifedipine, not all blood pressure medications and not even all drugs in the same class.

Bottom line: The headline contains a kernel of truth but is overly broad. It may lead readers to think that all popular blood pressure drugs increase cardiac arrest risk, which is not what the study showed.

If you take nifedipine—or any blood pressure medication—do not stop it on the basis of a headline. Talk with your healthcare provider if you have concerns, as untreated high blood pressure itself significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems.