It is imperative that you make the necessary changes to your lifestyle and diet in order to stay healthy and to lower your blood pressure.  Follow your doctor recommendations and make sure you keep your doctor’s appointments and ask your doctor about any questions you may have regarding your condition.

There are many different medications which are available for controlling high blood pressure

Diuretics, also referred to as water pills, cause the body to release excess water and salt.  These are typically the first choice in blood pressure control.  These pills may also reduce the risk of stroke by as much as 40 % and hypertension-related heart attacks by 16 %.

Thiazide diuretics are most commonly used to treat mild hypertension.  It takes a very short period of time for the pills to reduce blood volume, causing the kidneys to excrete more sodium.  This means that the heart is pumping less blood each minute and this lowers blood pressure.  Eventually, Thiazide diuretics smooth the muscle in the arterial walls, causing it to relax.

Potassium-sparing diuretics are used to treat people with mild to moderate high blood pressure.  These work by blocking the actions of the chemical messenger aldosterone.

People who have impaired kidney function are sometimes given loop diuretics.  They cause more urine to be excreted than Thiazide diuretics, but are less effective in lowering blood pressure and may cause severe electrolyte imbalances.

Side effects of diuretics include:

• decreased or elevated levels of potassium
• elevated blood sugar levels
• elevated cholesterol levels
• elevated levels of lipids
• elevated levels of uric acid
• occasional sexual dysfunction

Beta-Adrenergic Block Agents (Beta-Blockers) are frequently used in the beginning treatment of high blood pressure.  They lesson the heart’s workload by decreasing the strength and frequency of heartbeats, slowing certain metabolic processes and reducing blood pressure.

Beta-Blockers:

• slow down the heart rate
• reduce the strength of the heart’s contractions, which directly cause the blood pressure to drop
• may indirectly lower blood pressure by slowing the kidney’s production of protein called rennin

Beta-Blockers are used to control blood pressure in many different people, however, they are not as effective as thiazide diuretics in older people and African American people.  Some symptoms which people may experience include:

• fatigue
• depression
• impotence
• high blood sugar levels, or hyperglycemia
• undesirable changes in the blood fats
• increased airway resistance

People who are taking Beta-Blockers should be monitored closely for the following:

• low blood pressure
• abnormally low heart rate
• worsening of heart failure
• increase of heart rate or blood pressure with sudden discontinuation of treatment