A single pill can defeat heart disease?

From beta blockers for anxiety to Cholesterol stopping Statins there seems to pills for every certain disease and abnormality in the body. Though with complications of using similar compounds within medication and the increased mortality rate of patients mixing certain medication these complications must be addressed.

Some people with heart disease take several pills a day—aspirin, a statin to lower cholesterol, a couple to control blood pressure, sometimes a beta blocker to slow the heart rate. Some patients find it difficult to keep to their prescription pill regime and find themselves missing certain medication. Though for some time a "pollypill" is being created a combination pill that could help patients.

Polypill studies so far have been very promising. For example, The Indian Polycap Study (TIPS) found that combining five drugs—three blood pressure medicines, a statin, and aspirin—in one pill significantly reduced blood pressure and harmful LDL cholesterol.

Though side effects from these drugs could be a problem since there is so many combinations of drugs it could be difficult to find what pateints have reacted to.

Other complications would be -

Will the blood pressure and cholesterol reductions seen in studies translate into less heart disease?

Will these drugs work as well together as they do individually?

Should the individual medicines be given in lower-than-normal or full-strength doses?

Sourced from Harvard medical

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