HIgh Blood Pressure Medication

Do you have high blood pressure? If you go to a doctor at all, you’ll know if your blood pressure is high, because that’s one of the tests nearly always taken. Most people who have it don’t have symptoms and most of the time there is no real explanation of what causes it.

They don’t call it hypertension for nothing. If you have high blood pressure – hypertension – that means that your blood vessels have high “tension” or pressure so that the blood flow is restricted.

Blood pressure medicines are used to relax the blood vessel in some way or another.

High blood pressure is aggravated by a hormone called angiotensin II, which causes blood vessels to constrict. This can be treated with medicine called an “ACE inhibitor” – angiotensin converting enzyme. This stops the formation of the hormone and stops blood vessels from narrowing, thus lowering blood pressure. Angiotensin antagonists work on this level, but rather than preventing the formation of angiotensin II, they shield the blood vessels from it, which causes them to expand naturally.

A second way to treat high blood pressure is to slow down the nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels. Medicine used for this is called a “blocker.” Beta-blockers reduce the nerve impulses that reach the heart, making it beat less forcefully. Alpha-blocker is aimed at the nerve impulses that reach the blood vessels. A third blocker, called “alpha-beta-blocker” does both. It slows the heart and relaxes blood vessels by reducing nerve impulses to both. Less blood is pumped and blood vessels are more relaxed, so the blood pressure goes down.

A calcium channel blocker relaxes arterial blood vessels, making them less resistant to blood flow. They prevent calcium from entering the muscles in blood vessles. Too much calcium is sometimes called “hardening of the arteries,” and causes high blood pressure.

Yet another way to reduce blood pressure is by a medication called a vasodilator, which is exactly what it sounds like. It dilates the blood vessels to allow more blood to pass more freely.

Because high blood pressure is sometimes caused by the body retaining fluids, it’s sometimes treated by using a diuretic. Diuretics remove water and sodium from the body and reduce the pressure against blood vessels. They’re usually only used in case of kidney damage or sometimes pregnancy. (This type of high blood pressure is called “secondary,” because it’s caused by retention of fluids.)

Your doctor will prescribe medication, taking into account your overall health or other health problems you may have, but remember that it’s up to you to learn about the medication you’re taking. Ask your doctor, but also look up information yourself so you’ll know what to expect as far as common side effects, and any other possible dangers to be alert to.

High blood pressure can be very dangerous, but with the right treatment, it can be very efficiently controlled.