Risks of High Blood Pressure Medication

High blood pressure is a medical condition, which results from increased blood pressure against the walls of blood vessels. Hypertension is caused mainly by stressful lifestyle. Obesity, smoking, aging, excess intake of sodium in diet and certain medical conditions such as diabetes, kidney diseases and thyroid dysfunction can also increase the risk of hypertension.

People with high blood pressure experience the symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, dizziness and blurred vision. If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to certain complications such as stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and vision loss. In order to prevent these serious complications of hypertension, you should immediately seek an appropriate medical treatment. High blood pressure can be treated with various medications and some alternative medicines. However, medications used to lower blood pressure can give rise to certain side effects, when used for prolonged period. Read on to understand the risks of high blood pressure medications.

Risks of High Blood Pressure Medications

There are a wide variety of hypertension medications, which are categorized as antihypertensives. The treatment is aimed to lower high blood pressure and cure other co-existing medical conditions. Major types of high blood pressure medications are diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, alpha-blockers, calcium channel blockers (CCBs), angiotensin antagonists, combined alpha and beta-blockers, peripheral adrenergic inhibitors and vasodilators. Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and ACE inhibitors are used for patients with chronic kidney failure and heart attack. Beta-blockers can be the drugs of choice for hypertensive people with acute heart attack or resting tachycardia. Have a look into the details of hypertension medications and their side effects.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors: These drugs act by lowering the amounts of angiotensin II and thus, preventing the constriction of blood vessels. This causes widening and relaxing of the blood vessels, which results in decreased pressure within the blood vessels. Some commonly used ACE inhibitors are captopril, lisinopril, benazepril, ramipril and fosinopril. These drugs are preferred for people with diabetes, as these drugs don’t affect blood sugar levels. ACE inhibitors are not recommended for pregnant women and for people with certain arterial problems or kidney problems. ACE inhibitors can cause some side effects such as skin rash or itching, chronic dry cough, allergic reactions and hyperkalemia, specifically in people with renal failure.

Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB): These drugs are also referred to as angiotension II receptor antagonists. These drugs act by stopping the action of angiotensin II that narrows the blood vessels. Commonly used ARB drugs are losartan, irbesartan, olmesartan, valsartan, eprosartan and telmisartan. For patients who have chronic cough due to ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs can be a good substitute. ARB drugs are not recommended for pregnant women. Some side effects of these drugs are skin rashes, headache and dizziness.

Diuretics: Diuretics work by eliminating excess amounts of fluids and sodium from the body through urination. This helps to reduce pressure within the blood vessels. Some commonly used diuretics are chlorothiazide, hydrochlorothiazide, amiloride, spironolactone and furosemide. People with diabetes as well as pregnant women should not use these drugs, because diuretics can increase the blood sugar levels. Some diuretics can lower the levels of potassium, which can lead to hypokalemia. Therefore, you need to take foods that contain high amounts of potassium. Diuretics can cause some side effects such as increased fatigue, dizziness and leg cramping.

Alpha-blockers: These drugs work by relaxing the blood vessels. They decrease nerve impulse to blood vessels, which facilitates easy blood flow through vessels and thus, helps to lower blood pressure. Some examples of alpha-blockers are doxazosin, terazosin, alfuzosin and tamsulosin. Alpha-blockers can give rise to side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, headache and lightheadedness.

Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers can help to lower high blood pressure by slowing down the heart rate, due to which excess stress on the heart is relieved. It results in slower blood flow through blood vessels, causing less blood pressure. Acebutolol, timolol, propanaolol, atenolol, metoprolol, pindolol, bisoprolol and oxprenolol are some commonly prescribed beta-blockers. In case of diabetics, beta-blockers don’t show the warning signs of low blood sugar. Hence, diabetic people taking beta-blockers should regularly check their blood sugar levels. Some risks of beta-blockers are exercise intolerance, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, insomnia, depression, slow heartbeats and symptoms of asthma.

Vasodilators: Vasodilators stimulate and relax the muscles within the walls of blood vessels. Due to relaxed muscles, the blood vessels open up, which allows an easy flow of blood. Loniten and apresoline are some popular vasodilators. Some possible side effects of vasodilators are headache, anxiety, diarrhea, skin rash, vomiting, pain in chest, racing heart and flu-like symptoms.

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs): CCBs, also called as calcium antagonists act by preventing the movement of calcium in the muscle cells of heart and arteries. These medications help to reduce blood pressure by decreasing the cardiac contraction (the force of pumping action of the heart) and relaxing the muscle cells in the arterial walls. CCBs can also be used to treat other health conditions such as angina (chest pain) or arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms). Some common CCBs are nimodipine, amlodipine, nifedipine, verapamil, bepridil and diltiazem. A combination of CCB drugs and alpha-beta blockers can also be used to treat high blood pressure. People taking CCBs may experience some side effects such as headache, constipation, skin rash, nausea, bleeding gums, swelling in ankles and feet and drowsiness.

Side effects of hypertension medications may be extremely serious and bothersome in some cases. In order to avoid the risks of high blood pressure medications, one should opt for some alternative treatment options such as aromatherapy, relaxation techniques, etc. In addition, a healthy lifestyle properly balanced with nutritional diet, regular exercises and control of unhealthy habits such as smoking and alcoholism can surely help to lower high blood pressure.