Is It Safe to Take B Vitamins With Blood Pressure Medication?

Hypertension — or high blood pressure — is typically treated with a combination of medicine and healthy lifestyle changes.

You may have heard that taking vitamins like B6, B12, and B9 (folate) can help improve your blood pressure, too.

But while B vitamins have been studied for their potential positive effects on heart health, they are not currently recommended for treatment or prevention of hypertension.

That said, there are no known risks of taking Vitamin B in combination with blood pressure medication, as long as you are treating a vitamin deficit and not going above the recommended daily dose.

Is Vitamin B Recommended for Hypertension?

There is ongoing research on the potential benefits of B vitamins for blood pressure, especially for people with certain genetic variations, but these studies haven’t impacted current treatment recommendations.

The 2025 U.S. guideline on hypertension, drafted by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association joint committee, does not mention routine Vitamin B supplementation as an effective treatment or prevention measure.

According to the American Heart Association, there are no “special pills” to treat high blood pressure, outside of already approved blood pressure medications.

Can You Safely Combine Vitamin B and Hypertension Medication?

The 2025 U.S. guideline on hypertension does not list a warning about routine B vitamin use with blood pressure medication.

However, while it is appropriate to supplement additional Vitamin B if you have a deficiency, there are no formal recommendations on Vitamin B supplementation for high blood pressure.

In the absence of deficiencies, experts recommend consulting with a doctor before starting a new supplement.

The Research on Vitamin B and Hypertension

High blood pressure is a known risk factor for stroke, and studies have explored whether various B vitamins can help prevent strokes and heart disease, according to Mayo Clinic.

Folate, together with vitamins B12 and B6, helps the body break down homocysteine, a natural substance in the blood. High levels of homocysteine have been linked to heart disease and stroke. Still, studies haven’t proved that lowering homocysteine with these vitamins always leads to fewer heart problems.

"There's an ongoing discussion on the role of these B vitamins because of their positive effects on homocysteine, and because high levels of this amino acid in the blood can be a risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and blood clots," says John A. Osborne, MD, PhD, a cardiologist who specializes in hypertension and preventive cardiology and medical director of State of the Heart Cardiology in Southlake, Texas. "But a number of trials with thousands of people starting 20 years ago showed that lower homocysteine didn't lower risk."

The Best Way To Get Your Bs

If you haven't been diagnosed with a Vitamin B deficiency, it’s best to focus on getting your daily recommended dose from food.

Eating a diet of whole foods offers health benefits that a supplement pill does not, says Marlisa Brown, RDN, a certified diabetes care and education specialist based in Bayshore, New York.

Some of the best Vitamin B6 sources are fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, and bananas, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The best Vitamin B12 sources are animal foods — meat, chicken, fish, eggs and dairy (if you’re vegan, you can get B12 from fortified foods). The best folate sources are green leafy vegetables, citrus juices, and legumes.

"If you do take supplements, make sure you aren't getting super doses," Brown warns. This could happen if you, for example, take B vitamin supplements along with a multivitamin.