High Blood Pressure Treatment Strategies
When blood passes through the blood vessels, it exerts force on the walls of the blood vessels called blood pressure. If the blood pressure is always high, the blood vessels can become damaged which can lead to life-threatening complications like stroke and heart attack. Blood pressure treatment is always started whenever a person is diagnosed with hypertension.
When a person’s BP is 140/90 or higher in two different occasions, he or she is diagnosed with hypertension. The good thing is that hypertension can be treated with a lot of various ways. Of course, there are available drugs that are effective in treating hypertension. In fact, anti-hypertensive drugs are always prescribed to persons who are diagnosed with hypertension. What are the different available anti-hypertensive medicines nowadays?
Diuretics are the most common form of drugs prescribed to treat hypertension. Diuretics lead to frequent urination so that the excess salt and water in the body is removed. Once extra salt and water are urinated, blood pressure becomes lower and the heart can pump easily. Diuretics can cause adverse effects like dehydration, dizziness, muscle cramps, arrhythmia, and others.
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are another form of drugs prescribed to treat hypertension. ACE inhibitors work by dilating the blood vessels which leads to increase in blood flow, decrease in blood pressure, and easier work for the heart. Also, ACE inhibitors can protect the kidneys from the effects of hypertension. ACE inhibitors can cause adverse effects like sore throat, severe vomiting or diarrhea, dizziness, cough, and others.
One of the most common forms of medicines used to treat hypertension is angiotensin II receptor blockers or ARBs. ARBs can prevent the constriction of blood vessels since these can block angiotensin II. Therefore, ARBs work by widening the blood vessels so that blood flow is increased and blood pressure is decreased. ARBs are usually prescribed to hypertensive people who cannot tolerate ACE inhibitors. ARBs can cause side effects like severe vomiting, confusion, cough, diarrhea, dizziness, and others.
One of the most common forms of drugs used to treat hypertension is beta-blockers. Beta-blockers function by reducing the work of the heart which enables it to pump easier using less oxygen and blod. The common side effects of beta-blockers include fatigue, dizziness, edema, slow heartbeat, and others.
Calcium channel blockers are another form of drugs prescribed to treat hypertension. These drugs slow down the movement of calcium to the heart and blood vessels which results to widened blood vessels. Some of the usual side effects of calcium channel blockers are dizziness, dry mouth, edema, headache, and others.
Besides prescribing drugs, the doctor will also recommend lifestyle changes that can effectively lower your blood pressure. Some of these lifestyle changes include smoking cessation, reduced alcohol and caffeine intake, regular exercise, proper diet, and stress reduction. In addition to using anti-hypertensive medicines, these lifestyle changes include the blood pressure treatment that most doctors prescribe.
