Whenever someone mentions they have developed high blood pressure, the first thing I ask is if they have recently started a new type of medicine. Come to think of it, I ask that of most new symptoms.

Several types of common over-the-counter meds like ibuprofen and prescription meds including the pill, some anti-depressants and antibiotics can also raise blood pressure. Most often, people don’t think of that as a possible cause but I see it regularly on the patient information leaflets I check.

In the American Journal of Medicine recently, Prof Ehud Grossman of Tel Aviv University explained:  “Patients often assume that because a medication can be obtained without a prescription, it’s relatively harmless.  But that’s not always the case…”

Indeed. Always wise to check anything new.