High blood pressure can be deadly, as it increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and heart attack. There can be many different causes of high blood pressure, and there are also many different blood pressure medications that can be used for treatment. Upon your diagnosis, your physician will decide which high blood pressure medication will work best for you.
Diuretics
Many times blood pressure is high because the body is retaining excess water and sodium, which increases the volume of the blood. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), diuretics help lower blood pressure by helping the kidneys rid the body of the excess by flushing it out with increased urine output. Commonly prescribed diuretics, as listed by the AHA, include bumetanide, chlorthalidone, chlorothiazide, amiloride, spironolactone, furosemide, indapamide and hydrochlorothiazide. If your physician finds a diuretic to not be effective enough at lowering blood pressure, he may also prescribe one of the following blood-pressure-lowering medications to go along with it.
ACE Inhibitors
An ACE inhibitor is also known as an angiotensin converting enzyme. In the blood, there is an enzyme called ACE that converts the neurohormone angiotensin into angiotensin II. According to Dr. Richard E. Klabunde, of Cardiovascular Physiology Concepts, angiotensin II constricts blood vessels, which increases blood pressure, and influences the kidneys to retain sodium and fluids, which also contributes to hypertension. ACE inhibitors prevent the formation of angiotensin II, which relaxes blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. The AHA lists the most commonly prescribed ACE inhibitors as benazepril, enalapril, lisinopril, fosinopril, moexipril, quinapril, ramipril, perindopril and trandolapril.
Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers
Angiotensin II (A-2) receptor blockers also work on angiotensin II, but instead of blocking the production of it, they prevent it from having any negative affect on the blood vessels, which keeps blood pressure down. Angiotensin II receptor blockers work exactly as their name implies: They prevent angiotensin II from being able to connect to the cells of angiotensin receptors. The AHA lists the most commonly prescribed A-2 receptor blockers as eprosartan, candesartan, irbesartan, losartan, telmisartan and valsartan.
Calcium Channel Blockers
While they may not be as effective as other high blood pressure medicines, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) can also help control hypertension. Every muscle in the body needs calcium in order to contract, including arteries and blood vessels. The Mayo Clinic reports that a CCB will prevent the calcium from going into the muscle cells of the heart and circulatory system, which will prevent them from contracting. When the blood vessels relax, blood pressure will lower. As listed by the AHA, common CCBs are amlodipine, bepridil, diltiazem, felodipine, nimodipine, nifedipine, verapamil and nisoldipine.
Beta Blockers
Beta blockers lower the heart rate, and therefore its blood ouput. This, in turn, will lower blood pressure. The Mayo Clinic explains that they work by blocking the effects of adrenaline, which causes the heart to beat slower, and they also expand the blood vessels, reducing blood pressure. The most prescribed beta blockers, as listed by the AHA, are bisoprolol, betaxolol, atenolol, carteolol, metoprolol, insoacebutolol, propranolol, sotalol, timolol and nadolol.
