My Healthy Heart Articles
Taking Down High Blood Pressure With Medication
11/21/07
Treatment Options
High blood pressure or hypertension is a lifelong condition. It cannot be cured, but it can be successfully managed by making careful lifestyle choices and in some cases, adding prescription medications to the mix. These medications, known as antihypertensives, represent a lifetime commitment to managing blood pressure. If your doctor recommends adding one of these treatments to your blood pressure therapy, discuss your options carefully.
Diuretics have also been called water pills. They work with the kidneys to rid the body of excess water. They are usually a doctor's first choice for initial treatment. Excess fluid in the body raises blood pressure. In some instances, diuretics can deplete the body of potassium, a necessary mineral. Symptoms of a potassium deficiency include cramps, fatigue, and weakness. Some diuretics are designed to spare potassium. Otherwise, doctors may recommend a potassium supplement. Patients can also eat foods high in potassium like bananas, spinach, and broccoli. Diabetics should discuss diuretics carefully with their physicians since they may cause blood sugar to rise.
Beta-blockers affect the nerve impulses that make the heart beat. The heart slows, beating less frequently and with less force. Less blood is pumped through the body, reducing blood pressure and the heart's workload. Beta-blockers have been known to cause insomnia, cold hands and feet, tiredness, depression, a slow heart rate and asthma symptoms. Diabetics taking insulin should carefully monitor how they respond to beta-blockers.
ACE Inhibitors, or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, prevent the body from producing the angiotensin II hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow. Unrestricted blood vessels decrease blood pressure. This treatment can cause a skin rash, a chronic cough that is dry and hacking, the loss of taste, and in rare cases, kidney failure. Patients should discuss any complications with their doctor.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers block the effect of the angiotensin II hormone. These medicines are a newer form of treatment. By blocking the angiotensin II hormone, the blood vessels relax and blood can flow more freely through them. These medications have been associated with occasional dizziness.
Calcium Channel Blockers prevent the heart muscle cells from absorbing calcium. Without calcium, the blood vessels relax and the heart pumps less. Calcium channel blockers can cause heart palpitations, swollen ankles, constipation, headaches, or dizziness.
Vasodilators directly affect the blood vessels. They cause the vessels to dilate and allow blood to flow through more freely, which reduces blood pressure. These medications can cause swelling around the eyes, headaches, heart palpitations, or aches and pains in the joints. These symptoms aren't usually severe and typically disappear on their own.
Alpha Blockers reduce nerve impulses that constrict blood vessels. By blocking those nerve impulses, the blood vessels can open and reduce blood pressure. Some side effects associated with alpha blockers include a fast heart rate, a drop in blood pressure when standing up, and dizziness.
Sympathetic Nerve Inhibitors are similar to alpha blockers. They also help reduce blood pressure by controlling nerve impulses from the brain that would otherwise cause blood vessels to constrict.
Once a patient begins an antihypertensive therapy, it cannot usually be stopped, and should not be adjusted in anyway without first consulting with a physician. If blood pressure responds well to these treatments, medication can sometimes, under the direction of a physician, be reduced. Even if high blood pressure patients don't feel a significant change, they should not abandon their treatment. High blood pressure is a lifelong condition that cannot be cured. However, with careful lifestyle choices and medication, high blood pressure can be successfully managed and controlled.
Sources:
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
The American Heart Association
