Did you know that millions of individuals all over the world have hypertension? And if you happen to be afflicted with hypertension as well, you need to learn about the different methods of treatment for high blood pressure.
Treatment of hypertension is important because uncontrolled hypertension can lead to life-threatening complications like heart attack and stroke.
High blood pressure treatment is usually done through the use of anti-hypertensive drugs.
Your doctor may prescribe different kinds of anti-hypertensive drugs which are available today.
Before taking these anti-hypertensive drugs, ask your doctor first about the respective side effects of these drugs and how they work in reducing blood pressure.
Asking your doctor these questions will make you understand the mechanisms of these drugs and prepare you for the possible side effects.
Diuretics are considered the first-line of treatment of hypertension.
Excess salt and water in the body can increase your blood pressure which makes it important to flush these out.
And with the help of diuretics, these excess water and salt can be removed by urination.
Diuretics cause different side effects like extreme fatigue, blurred vision, muscle cramps, abnormal heart rate, fever, dehydration, and others.
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors are also another form of anti-hypertensive medicines.
Also known as ACE inhibitors, dilation of the blood vessels is caused by these medicines.
When the blood vessels become dilated, there will be a consequent increase in blood flow and decrease in BP.
And the different adverse effects caused by taking ACE inhibitors are skin rash, sore throat, fever, kidney failure, diarrhea, vomiting, and others.
Another type of anti-hypertensive drugs is calcium channel blockers.
Calcium leads to the constriction of blood vessels.
And calcium channel blockers are able to slow down calcium's movement which means that the blood vessels become dilated.
When the blood vessels are dilated, there is an increase in the blood flow and a decrease in the blood pressure.
Calcium channel blockers cause different side effects like dry mouth, headache, skin rash, edema, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, constipation, and others.
Angiotensin II receptor blockers are also another form of anti-hypertensive drugs.
Just like calcium, angiotensin II can narrow blood vessels.
Therefore, these drugs were formulated to block the action of angiotensin II so that the blood vessels will become dilated.
Remember that once blood vessels are widened, blood flow is increased and blood pressure is decreased.
And the different side effects caused by angiotensin II receptor blockers are diarrhea, cough, confusion, dizziness, muscle cramps, and others.
Anti-hypertensive agents still come in other types aside from these.
The different side effects of these anti-hypertensive drugs are definitely their disadvantages.
And today, lots of people with hypertension need to live with these adverse effects each day just to control their blood pressure.
On the other hand, treatment for high blood pressure can also be done through natural methods which have no known side effects.
The different natural methods of treatment include regular exercise, proper diet, stress reduction, smoking cessation, and a lot more.