Blood Pressure Medicines

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, usually has no symptoms. But it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. If you cannot control your high blood pressure through healthy lifestyle habits such as losing weight and reducing sodium in your diet, your doctor may prescribe medicines.

Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Some remove extra fluid and salt from the body to lower blood pressure. Others slow down the heartbeat or relax and widen blood vessels. Often, two or more medicines work better than one.



What are some common medicines to treat high blood pressure?

There are several types of medicine used to treat high blood pressure. Your doctor will decide which type of medicine is right for you.

Diuretics (water pills) help your body get rid of extra sodium (salt) and water so your blood vessels don't have to hold so much fluid.

Diuretics

Beta-blockers make the heart beat slower so that blood passes through your blood vessels with less force.

beta blockers

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (also called ACE inhibitors) keep your body from making angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow. This relaxes your blood vessels.

ACE Inhibitors

Angiotensin II receptor blockers (also called ARBs) relax your blood vessels by blocking the effects of angiotensin II, a hormone that causes blood vessels to narrow.

Angiotensin II receptor blockers

Calcium channel blockers (also called CCBs) help keep your blood vessels from constricting (becoming narrow) by blocking calcium from entering your cells.

Calcium channel blockers 

Alpha-blockers help relax your blood vessels by reducing nerve impulses. This allows your blood to pass through more easily.

Alpha blockers

Alpha-beta blockers not only reduce nerve impulses, but also make the heart beat slower so the blood passes through the vessels with less force.

alfa beta blockers

Centrally acting drugs affect your brain and central nervous system to reduce the nerve impulses that can increase your heart rate and cause your blood vessels to narrow.

Direct vasodilators relax the muscles in the blood vessel walls. This causes the blood vessels to widen.
Do these medicines have any side effects?

All medicines have side effects. Some common side effects of high blood pressure medicines include the following:
Headache
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Nausea
Vomiting
Extreme tiredness, weakness, drowsiness or lethargy (lack of energy)
Diarrhea or constipation
Unintended weight loss or gain
Nervousness or increased anxiety
Chest pain, heart palpitations (the feeling that your heart is racing) or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)
Cough, fever, congestion, upper respiratory tract infection or "flu-like" symptoms
Skin rash

Tell your doctor as soon as possible if your side effects become severe or bothersome.
What is a drug interaction?

If you use 2 or more drugs at the same time, the way your body processes each drug can change. When this happens, the risk of side effects from each drug increases and each drug may not work the way it should. This is called a "drug-drug interaction." Vitamins and herbal supplements can also affect the way your body processes medicine.

Certain foods or drinks can also prevent your medicine from working the way it should or make side effects worse. This is called a "drug-food interaction." For example, people taking certain CCBs may need to avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice.

Be certain that your doctor knows all of the over-the-counter and prescription medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements you are taking.

Also, ask your doctor whether you need to avoid any foods or drinks while using your blood pressure medicine.