Sometimes, you can treat high blood pressure with a simple change of diet, exercise and lifestyle. Other cases are not so simple to resolve, and the doctor may prescribe a high blood pressure medication. The particular medication will depend on other key factors, such as the severity of your high blood pressure condition. It would also depend on any other existing medical conditions.
Know Your Medications
There are many aspects of blood pressure medications to consider for treating the condition. While your doctor is the one who will decide the treatment, you should have some knowledge about the various medications. For example, how they react or interact with other conditions or medications. Visiting the local pharmacy can help answer questions or concerns before approaching your doctor, but information is the key.
While most people treated for blood pressure don’t need other medications for another medical condition, some do. When taking more than one blood pressure medication, it’s important to make sure those medications would not conflict with one another other. Also, let your doctor know what other medications you are taking before he prescribes a particular one for you.
Other Health Problems
If you have high blood pressure and have no other ailments, the doctor will more than likely prescribe a blood pressure medication such as thiazide-type diuretics. This medication suits those without other medical problems. Thiazide-type diuretics have been proven to not only lower blood pressure, but also to prevent heart attacks and strokes. They are less expensive than other high blood pressure drugs. And these diuretics are the most common of first drugs prescribed to treat high blood pressure. You only need to take most of these medications once a day.
Other blood pressure medication such as a beta-blocker can reduce risk of strokes or heart attacks. They help protect hearts weakened by coronary artery disease. Similarly, enzyme inhibitors help to protect the kidneys for those suffering from diabetes and kidney insufficiency as well. Enzyme inhibitors also protect the heart after a major heart attack or if you have congestive heart failure.
Calcium channel blockers help people suffering from angina. Similarly, alpha-blockers improve blood levels of certain fats. For those suffering from other medical conditions, such as diabetes or congestive heart failure or angina, the doctor will most likely prescribe a beta-blocker. Doctors will also consider the age of the patient. Often, medications in seniors react differently than in younger and more healthy patients.
What are the side effects?
As with any blood pressure medication, side effects can occur. They include, but are not limited to, increased need to urinate, difficulty sleeping and dizziness. Other side effects can be some sexual dysfunction in men, nasal stuffiness or headaches.
Many people use blood pressure medication and never experience these side effects, so don’t let the fear of them stop you from taking the medication. Work with your doctor to find the right medication with the least amount of side effects for your specific condition. No matter which blood pressure medication the doctor prescribes, it is important to follow instructions to the letter.
Stan Kitchen
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/how-safe-is-your-blood-pressure-medication-107023.html
2 comments ↓
What blood pressure medication is the safest during pregnancy??
I just recently had a miscarriage caused by high blood pressure. I want to try again, but i am worried that taking any medication while pregnant will harm the fetus's growth. My doctor told me that i will continue to miscarry without the medication, but i am very worried about any effects to the baby. What is the safest blood pressure medication to take while pregnant and have there been any studies to prove no abnormalities. I am very worried. Please can anyone help. Thanks.
Sousou! High blood pressure medicines commonly used during pregnancy include:
* Methyldopa (a first-choice oral medicine for controlling high blood pressure during a pregnancy).
* Hydralazine (a first- or second-choice intravenous medicine for quickly lowering severely high blood pressure during pregnancy).
* Labetalol (a first- or second-choice intravenous medicine for quickly lowering severely high blood pressure in the hospital, and also considered a first- or second-choice oral medicine for controlling high blood pressure during pregnancy).
* Nifedipine (a first- or second-choice oral medicine for controlling high blood pressure during pregnancy).
Magnesium sulfate is considered the safest and most effective anticonvulsant for preventing eclampsia (seizures) during pregnancy
Medicine for preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy may be used to:
* Control high blood pressure. Lowering high blood pressure does not prevent preeclampsia from getting worse, because high blood pressure is only a symptom of the condition, not a cause. High blood pressure medicine is usually not used unless a pregnant woman's diastolic blood pressure (the second number) reaches levels of about 105 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) and above.1 Expectant management is the preferred treatment for mild high blood pressure during pregnancy.
* Prevent seizures. Magnesium sulfate is usually started before delivery and continued for 24 hours after delivery for women with pregnancy-related seizures (eclampsia) and those with moderate to severe preeclampsia.
* Speed up fetal lung development. When possible, a corticosteroid (betamethasone or dexamethasone) is given to the mother prior to a premature birth (up to 34 weeks of gestation). This medicine matures the fetus's lungs over a 24-hour period, which lowers the risk of breathing problems after birth.
For more information on miscarriages and birth defects visit my free website
http://www.pregnancy-guidelines.com
http://birthdefectcauses.blogspot.com
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