Your blood pressure measures the force of your blood as it pushes against your artery walls. According to the National Institutes of Health, a normal blood pressure is 120/80, while 140/90 is considered high. When left untreated, high blood pressure, or hypertension, can cause a slew of health problems such as heart attack and stroke. A variety of medications can be used to lower blood pressure. They are categorized into different classes depending on how they work to protect a patient's health.
Diuretics
Diuretics are usually the first drug used in the treatment of hypertension, according to Healthcentral.com. They work by excreting excess amounts of water and salt, two main components of hypertension, from the kidneys.
This class of drugs appears to work the best in both the elderly and African-Americans--African-Americans are more sensitive to salt and therefore absorb more of it. Patients with diabetes also seem to respond well to diruetics.
In most cases, diuretics need to be taken in combination with other anti-hypertensive drugs such as beta blockers. As for cost, they are considered inexpensive and are typically prescribed in low doses, needing only to be taken once or twice a day.
While diuretics do help reduce a patient's risk of developing blood clots or having a stroke, they can reduce the amount of potassium in the body. This can lead to an arrhythmia, or an irregular heart rhythm, which, in some cases, can result in cardiac arrest.
The most common diuretics on the market include amiloride, triamterene, indapamide, metolazone, furosemide and torsemide.
ACE Inhibitors
ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitors, help decrease blood pressure by reducing the amount of work the heart has to do as they open blood vessels, allowing blood to flow through easier. According to Healthcentral.com, patients with diabetes taking ACE inhibitors have fewer heart attacks and strokes than patients taking other types of anti-hypertensives.
The most common side effect associated with ACE inhibitors is low blood pressure. Some patients also find themselves suffering from a persistent cough. In rare instances, patients may suffer from a condition which causes a reduction in white blood cells, which are responsible for fighting infection.
The most common ACE inhibitors include captopril, quinapril, ramipril, lisinopril, enalapril, benazepril and perindopril.
Beta-Blockers
Prescribed in combination with both diruetics and ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, slow down the heart rate to help reduce blood pressure. While effective to a degree, some controversy does surround this class of drugs.
Healthcentral.com states that beta-blockers should not be the first choice as treatment for hypertension because they may increase a patient's risk of having a stroke. Aside from this con, a variety of other drawbacks exist as well.
If stopped suddenly, a patient's heart rate and blood pressure can increase suddenly, placing him at greater risk for various health problems. Beta-blockers may also lower HDL (good) cholesterol and can mask the warning signs of low blood sugar. In fact, when taken in combination with a diruetic, as they often are, beta-blockers can actually increase a patient's risk of developing diabetes.
The most commonly prescribed beta-blockers include metoprolol, pindolol, timolol, atenolol and propranolol.
Central Agonists
The most common central agonists include alpha methyldopa, guanabenz acetate, clonidine hydrochloride and guanfacine hydrochloride. According to the American Heart Association, central agonists work by helping the blood vessels relax, allowing blood to flow more freely, which takes pressure off the heart.
The most common side rffects noted with this class of drugs include drowsiness, dry mouth, anemia and fever. Some men may experience impotence, or the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection. Perhaps the most common side effect, though, is a dramatic drop in blood pressure upon standing, which may make the patient feel faint or weak if it drops too far, too fast.
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