Blood Pressure Treatments: Lifestyle Changes
Now that you are recently diagnosed to have hypertension, for sure you are very curious about the different high blood pressure treatments. Is using anti-hypertensive drugs the only way in treating hypertension? Learn the answer to that question through this article.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is commonly treated by taking anti-hypertensive drugs. And if you have hypertension, you most likely have your doctor’s prescription for these medications. Years of scientific studies have proven that these drugs are indeed effective in lowering high blood pressure. And to this day, pharmacies worldwide carry so many different kinds of anti-hypertensive drugs.
The first-line of treatment for hypertension is considered diuretics. These anti-hypertensive drugs can lower blood pressure through frequent urination. Excess water and salt is flushed out by the body through urination. Remember that if extra water and salt stay in your body, these can definitely increase the blood pressure. Furthermore, specific side effects come with the use of diuretics and examples of these are abnormal heart rate, blurred vision, skin rash, extreme tiredness, dizziness, dehydration, muscle cramps, and others.
Aside from diuretics, the doctor may prescribe you with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. Commonly known as ACE inhibitors, these medicines can cause dilation of the blood vessels which leads to an increase in the blood flow and a decrease in blood pressure. The following medications are categorized as ACE inhibitors: fosinopril, benazepril, lisinopril, enalapril, captopril, and others. And just like with the use of diuretics, there are also side effects when you take ACE inhibitors. Some of the side effects caused by ACE inhibitors are cough, kidney failure, skin rash, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, and others.
Another anti-hypertensive drug that the doctor may prescribe is calcium channel blockers. Calcium channel blockers can cause widening of the blood vessels by blocking the entry of calcium into the cells of the heart and blood vessels. And just like in the two previous medicines, dilation of the blood vessels lead to decreased blood pressure and increased blood flow. Examples of calcium channel blockers are amlodipine, felodipine, isradipine, nicradipine, nifedipine, diltiazem, and verapamil. Some of the side effects due to calcium channel blockers are edema, constipation, diarrhea, skin rash, headache, fatigue, and others.
These medications are only a few examples of the effective ones used in hypertension treatment. The biggest disadvantage of using these drugs is the different adverse effects that come with using them. But aside from anti-hypertensive drugs, there are other blood pressure treatments that you can use.
Different lifestyle changes are also advised by doctors to their patients who have hypertension. And years of scientific studies can also back up the effectiveness of these lifestyle changes in treating hypertension. Some examples of these necessary lifestyle changes are limited salt and alcohol intake, smoking cessation, stress reduction, regular exercise, proper diet, and others.
For high blood pressure treatments, anti-hypertensive medications and lifestyle changes are proven effective. The efficacy of both treatment approaches can be vouched by many scientific studies.
There are indeed different high blood pressure treatments that are efficacious in lowering high blood pressure. Learn more information about the different treatment methods and see which will best suit you.