Dr. Ashok Sharma

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, usually has no symptoms. But it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. If you cannot control your high blood pressure through lifestyle changes such as losing weight and reducing sodium in your diet, you may need medicines.

Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Some remove extra fluid and salt from the body. Others slow down the heartbeat or relax and widen blood vessels. Often, two or more medicines work better than one.

FDA has approved many medications to treat high blood pressure, including

• Diuretics, or “water pills,” which help the kidneys flush extra water and salt from your body and decrease blood volume
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), reduce blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels
• Beta blockers, which also cause the heart to beat with less force
• Drugs that directly relax the blood vessels. These include calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and other direct dilators (relaxers) of blood vessels
• Alpha blockers, which reduce nerve impulses that tighten blood vessels
• Nervous system inhibitors, which control nerve impulses from the brain to relax blood vessels

Many people with high blood pressure may need more than one medication to reach their goal blood pressure. Your health care provider can tell you if you should be on medication and, if so, which drug(s) may be best for you.